Fear and Faith
by Some1tookmyname
Summary: When a suspicious note is discovered in an unexpected place, Booth and Brennan fight against an unknown enemy to protect the life they've built together. NOW COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: I am so excited to post this new multi-chapter Bones fic! Even better, it's completely finished, which means it will roll out on a regular posting schedule of M, W, F for the next several weeks. I don't own Bones, of course, but you all knew that already, right?**

**I have to thank a few people (you know how this goes) because without them, this story would NOT exist anywhere but in my head. So thanks to_ RositaLG_, for her feedback and error catching, but mostly for her unwavering support. Thanks also to my Tweeps, because they were more helpful and encouraging than anyone could ever know. But special, Sweets style mega thanks to_ jadedrepartee._ I ate her life with this fic, pretty much every single night (and some days) for MONTHS. She's been on this ride with me since I said "So, I have this idea..." and her support has never, ever, faltered. Thanks, Friend.**

**This one is for The Hamlet.**

**Here we go.**

* * *

><p>Brennan didn't care much for book signings, Booth even less so. While she wasn't a fan of all the public interaction and phony niceties, Booth's concern was one of safety. Although bookstores or her publicist would often hire a security guard or two, Booth tried, as often as he could, to go with her.<p>

This particular book signing at a large local bookstore was no different than most. There were about 100 people, Booth estimated, all waiting patiently in line for his partner to sign their copy of her latest bestseller. He eyed the excitedly buzzing crowd, but saw no one suspicious so he diverted his gaze to his daughter sleeping in her stroller and his son, who was pushing the stroller up one aisle of books and down another.

"Hey Parks, you don't have to do that. She'll sleep even if you stop."

"I'm just upping my pedometer count, Dad."

"I don't think that's the point of the assignment."

"We're supposed to track our daily steps for two weeks. Mrs. Lafferty says if we have more than 100,000 steps we get extra credit." He zoomed around the corner of Self Help and came out near Psychology. "I'm just trying to get extra credit."

"How many steps a day are you supposed to have?"

"Between 8,000 and 10,000 for an ideal activity level." Parker parroted his teacher as he rounded another corner.

"You're an active kid; you'll probably make that without pushing your sister around the aisles of a bookstore. Come over here before you take someone's ankles out." Booth ordered as he watched a near stroller-to-customer collision.

"How much longer are we going to be here?" Parker plopped down in a chair next to where his father stood, once again surveying the crowd.

"Not long. She's more than halfway through and she's pretty fast at this now."

"Why'd we have to come? This is way boring."

"Well, normally, I wouldn't bring you or Hadley, but Angela got sick and your mom had a thing, so-"

"Was it a date?"

"She didn't say that, but the point is, that's why you're here."

"Ugh!" The twelve year old slumped further in his chair and Booth briefly regretted telling him to stop running in circles. At least he'd been entertained.

"You know, we're in a store full of books. Go read something."

"Can I go over there?" Parker pointed to a reading nook.

"Just stay where I can see you."

"I'm not a little kid anymore, Dad. You don't have to worry all the time."

"Yeah, well, learn to live with it, alright? Stay where I can see you."

"Fine." Parker shuffled off to find something to read, Hadley slept on and Booth turned his eyes to his partner.

He was always amazed when he watched her at interact with her fans. She was accommodating and kind, often not only signing books, but posing for pictures. She moved with grace, making eye contact with each fan, thanking them for coming, her hand penning each dedication with flourish. She smiled warmly for photos and he knew that only he could see that she was getting tired.

Hadley shifted restlessly in her stroller and Booth began to roll it back and forth, lulling her back to sleep as he craned his neck to see Parker. The curse of his line of work was never being able to relax about safety, especially when it came to the people he loved.

Once he was sure that Parker was happily (and safely) engrossed in a graphic novel, he scanned the bookstore again, looking, as always, for anything out of place or anyone who made his gut twinge. Seeing nothing and no one that gave him pause, he looked back to the table to discover she was signing her next to last book.

When she was finished, she thanked the stragglers who remained for coming and her publicist and a bookstore employee escorted her to a back room while the final fans cleared out.

Booth swung the stroller in Parker's direction. "You ready?"

"Hell, yeah!"

"Excuse me?" Booth arched his eyebrows.

"I mean, yes. I'm ready."

"You watch your language."

"Sorry."

Booth shook his head and walked on, silently wishing Parker could just have stayed little as his son straggled behind him.

They found the bookstore break room and Brennan's publicist, an all-business type woman named Celia, waved them in.

"Hey, Bones. You did great!" Booth greeted her.

"The reading did go rather well. They were a particularly receptive audience." She smiled at Parker. "Did you enjoy it Parker?"

"The reading part was cool. The rest of it was kind of boring." He answered honestly, but then brightened. "But I added hundreds of steps to my pedometer project pushing Hadley around!"

"Well it looks like you did a good job of getting her to sleep. It's well past her bedtime." She stood. "Shall we go?"

"Yeah, let me just do a last sweep."

"Agent Booth, I can assure you the security I hired has made sure there aren't any lurkers. It's perfectly safe." Celia was always offended that Booth didn't trust her security choices. And Booth never cared.

"Yeah, well, after that time in Maryland, I'll take a second look, thanks."

"You are being needlessly over protective." Brennan reprimanded him gently.

"Security didn't handle that nut in the parking lot in Baltimore, so I sure as hell don't trust them to do it now."

"He was just an over eager fan." Brennan rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, that time. What about next time?" Booth shook his head. "That's why I'm here; so there isn't a next time. Be right back."

He walked the perimeter of the bookstore, scanning for anyone left from the book signing. Seeing no one, he went outside to check the parking lot and the exterior of the building for lurkers. Satisfied, he went to retrieve his family.

"All clear." He announced cheerfully.

"You are so paranoid, Dad."

"Yeah, well, it's the nature of the job, Buddy. Who's ready to go home?"

"I am. We need to get Hadley in bed." Brennan collected her bag and Hadley's diaper bag, then took hold of the stroller, aiming it towards the exit.

They said goodbye to Celia and the bookstore manager and made their way out to their car.

Brennan popped Hadley's seat into its base in the backseat as Parker scrambled in on the other side, while Booth collapsed the stroller and stashed it in the trunk. Once everyone was settled and belted in and they were on their way, Booth started to relax.

Brennan watched as his shoulders loosened a little and his jaw began to unclench. She noticed when he stopped checking the rearview mirror.

"You worry too much."

"That's my job."

"As an FBI agent?"

"And as the guy who loves you."

She smiled indulgently. "That's very sweet, but unnecessary."

"Well, like I told Parker, you can learn to live with it."

"By and large, I have." Hadley let out a fussy cry from her car seat. "Is her cow in her bag?" She asked Booth.

"Yeah. I stuck it in there earlier."

"Is this it?" Parker held up a small animal he'd fished out of the diaper bag

"No," Booth looked at Parker in the rear view mirror. "Try the front pocket."

Parker dug around a moment longer before finding his sister's lovey. "Here you go, Hadley." He said sweetly as her tiny hands grasped her favorite toy.

Brennan smiled at the way Parker spoke to the baby. She was well aware of all the pitfalls that could come with half siblings and was always quite thankful that Parker and Hadley adored one another.

"Here, Bones. I think this is yours. It fell out when I was taking out the cow." Parker leaned forward and handed Brennan a scrap of paper, no bigger than an index card.

Booth caught Brennan's frown as she took the paper and read it. "What? What is it?"

"I…I don't know where this came from. I've never seen it before." Carefully, she moved her fingers so that she was only holding it by its most outward edges.

Booth pulled up to a light and looked over at the paper.

"_You have 2 beautiful children, Temperance. The little 1 has your eyes."_

And just like that, Booth's guard was up again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Quick notes:**

** Thank you all for your overwhelmingly lovely responses.**

**Yes, I purposely kept the baby as Hadley, partially because the episode revealing her name was unaired, so at first posting it was still a spoiler, but mostly because I wanted one last hurrah for my name of choice for B&B's baby. After this story, I will use the show name.**

**Happy Birthday to Jenlovebones.**

* * *

><p>They bickered about the note because while Booth was adamant that it needed to be processed by forensics, Brennan felt that was completely unnecessary.<p>

"You don't need to use FBI resources on a fan letter. You are over-reacting."

"What if I'm not? This feels like a threat to me."

"It's a fairly innocuous note, Booth. Hadley does have my eyes and our children are quite attractive."

"It's wrong."

"I'm fairly certain it's right. They are beautiful children."

"You know what I mean. This note…it feels wrong to me. I'm taking it in. I want to know who I should be watching out for."

"You're being over-protective again."

"Okay, you remember, years ago, when Epps gave that message to Parker? At the carousel? _That_ is how this makes me feel."

And so she had given in.

While he waited for forensics, Booth paced in his office, unable to focus on work, turning the book signing over and over again in his mind. He hadn't noticed anyone suspicious or anything that had been out of the ordinary. He'd never seen anyone approach the diaper bag. Most of the night it had been hooked over the back of the stroller.

Wouldn't an adoring fan just approach her? Wouldn't he simply have delivered his message as she signed a book?

Booth believed he would have.

He believed there was something more going on.

He didn't know what it was, though and that was the problem. It wasn't a threat, but it didn't seem innocent. It wasn't a compliment about her books or even about her, which would have been worrisome enough.

No, it was about their children and that was what made Booth's gut twist.

His cell phone rang and stopped him mid-pace. "Booth!" He was listening intently when Sweets knocked on the door. Motioning him in, Booth finished his brief call. "Yeah, okay. Thanks."

"You wanted to see me?"

"I need you to look at something for me."

"Sure."

Booth handed the psychologist a picture of the note. "The original is with forensics. They just called and said they got nothing off it. I need to know what you think."

"This was given to Dr. Brennan?" Sweets looked up from the photo.

"Not exactly. It was tucked in the front pocket of Hadley's diaper bag. Parker found it."

"Like someone just slipped it in there?"

"Yeah."

"Well, that alone is telling. It shows they are trying to make contact, but aren't ready to reveal who they are."

"What else?"

"This is an attempt to establish a connection. Complimenting someone's children is an acceptable way to make a connection in our society; to start a conversation. But the anonymity of the note suggests that this person may not really understand the mechanics of social connection. He may know how, on the surface, it's supposed to be done, but he doesn't quite get the subtleties of it."

"So you think a man wrote this."

"Generic pronoun. Could be a man or woman. There's not really enough here to tell."

"So, he's probably just clueless, not dangerous?"

"I can't say that for sure. The note suggests that whoever this is has spent some time studying both Dr. Brennan and your daughter. Enough to know their eye color is the same, anyway."

"Yeah." Booth rubbed one hand over his face. "Bones thinks I'm overreacting."

"Honestly? My professional opinion?"

Booth looked at his friend expectantly.

Sweets swallowed hard. "No." He shook his head. "No, I don't think you are overreacting. It could be nothing, but I wouldn't lay odds on it. It's likely you'll hear from him again."

"I'm going to take the original over to Angela, see what she can do with it."

"How's Dr. Brennan going to feel about that?"

"She'll hate it, but I don't really care. This _person_ is messing with my family. I'm not going to take that lying down."

"Well, technically, he hasn't done anything wrong, yet."

"I'm not about to about to sit around and wait for him to, either."

* * *

><p>An hour later Booth was standing in Angela's office, evidence bag with the original note back in hand.<p>

"This is kind of creepy." Angela commented, once she'd read it. "And it was just in the diaper bag?"

"Yeah. It fell out when Parker took out Hadley's cow."

"So it could have been stuck in there at any time, right? Not just during the book signing?"

"No, I packed the bag up at daycare myself. It wasn't in there, then."

"And you didn't see anything?"

"Nothing. And forensics got no prints, no fibers, no hair…nothing for me to chase down."

"Well, I'll see what I can do, but in all honesty, I don't think it'll be much."

"I'll take anything you can give me."

"Okay. Give me a little bit."

"I'll be in Bones' office."

* * *

><p>Brennan looked up as her partner entered her office.<p>

"I'm sorry it was so early, Celia." She listened for a few seconds. "Yes, of course he has my permission to ask. You know that. And you have my permission to give him the information he is looking for." She waved Booth inside and motioned to him to close the door. "He's here right now if you'd like to speak with him." She was quiet for a moment. "That's what I thought. I'll be expecting your call." She hung up without saying goodbye.

"The lovely, Celia, I presume?"

"I don't know that she's all that lovely, but yes."

"She doesn't have what I asked for yet, does she?" Booth was annoyed by the publicist's lack of urgency.

"Booth, you called her at 6:30 this morning."

"So?"

"From my phone! Without my permission!"

"Well, I knew she'd answer it if she thought it was you."

"Booth! I agreed to taking the note to forensics. I did not agree to letting you harass my publicist."

"I only asked her to look for any extra weird letters or gifts that have come in lately. Or anyone who has sent you more than two letters in the last six months. That's part of her job. She has people for that."

"She's going to get back to me this afternoon, but she said there is nothing she's been alerted about."

When a look of utter disgust flittered across his face, she stood up from her desk and crossed her office to where he stood. She could almost feel the tension radiating from him as he played with his poker chip. She took his hand, stilling his fingers. "I really don't think that we have anything to worry about, but if it turns out that we do, I'm quite certain that we can handle it."

"I just…I have a bad feeling." He pulled her close, still holding her hand and placing his other hand at her waist. "I don't like it. It's sneaky and that he's been looking at you and Hadley and he knows that your eyes are the same color? It's over the line. Especially in the form of an anonymous note tucked in our daughter's diaper bag. Think about how close he had to be to her to do that. That bag was hanging off the stroller the entire time. He was _right there, _Bones." He blew out a breath and his eyes grew dark and angry. "He could have touched her."

A chill raced up Brennan's spine. The proximity of the note writer to their daughter was something she hadn't stopped to consider. Suddenly she better understood Booth's fixation on discerning just how dangerous this person really was.

She removed her hand from his and wrapped her arm around his waist, leaning into him in a rare moment of intimacy at work. "I have every confidence that you will protect us all," she whispered.

"Damn straight." He murmured, tightening his arms around her. "Damn straight."


	3. Chapter 3

Brennan couldn't help but notice that Booth didn't leave the Jeffersonian.

He skulked around for a while until she suggested he find something else to do with his nervous energy besides pace the length of her office.

She also couldn't help but notice that he went directly from her office to the daycare and she was sure that he was reviewing protocol with the staff in an effort to ensure Hadley's safety. While she loved him for this (among all the other reasons that she loved him) she couldn't help but feel sorry for the daycare employees she was certain he was drilling.

"Hey, is Booth around?" Angela traipsed into Brennan's office and sat down on her couch.

"He's at the daycare most likely making sure they understand who is and is not allowed to pick up Hadley."

"He seems pretty worked up about this." She waved the note in the air.

Brennan frowned. "Yes. He's quite upset. I didn't realize he had asked you to work on it."

"Well, I don't have much to tell him. The font is basic, pretty much every PC has it as the default font. The paper has been cut, probably by scissors, from a regular piece of printer paper. The printer paper itself isn't anything special either. It's a brand sold in so many stores, the list in the DC area alone of places that sell it totaled over 100. The printer ink is HP, as is the printer and hundreds of thousands of both the printer and the ink were sold last year."

"So...nothing."

"No. I'm sorry." Angela shook her head. "You okay?"

"Yes. I wasn't very concerned when we first got the note, but Booth's gut is telling him this is worrisome. While I don't typically believe in following one's gut…"

"His is usually pretty right on." Angela finished the sentence for her.

"Yes."

"It is pretty creepy. I mean, why would someone write this? And why would he sneak it into Hadley's diaper bag?"

"I don't know. Booth thinks that perhaps Parker saw something without realizing it. It's our weekend with him, so when Booth picks him up at school he will try to run his memory."

Angela smiled. "I'm sure if anyone can _jog_ Baby Booth's memory, it's his dad."

"We're going to all meet at the diner and have milkshakes. Booth wants to keep it casual, so as not to frighten Parker."

"You guys are such a cute little family."

"We aren't an especially small family, Ange. In fact, the last census indicates that we are, in fact, quite an averaged sized family."

"Fine. You are a very cute, average sized family."

"Thank you. While I understand that my perspective is skewed, I happen to agree with you."

Angela laughed and stood. "I'm glad you do." She walked to the door. "You'll tell Booth what I found? Or, what I didn't find?"

"I will." Brennan watched as her friend left her office, then went back to her work, attempting to ignore the unsettled feeling in her stomach.

* * *

><p>At 2:30 Booth left for Parker's 3:00 pick up and by 3:30 they were all, Hadley included, settled at their favorite table at the diner. Their shakes and fries had been ordered and Brennan gave Hadley a teething biscuit as she waited for Booth to begin the conversation with Parker.<p>

"How's the pedometer project going?" Booth started casually.

"Good. I hooked it to my shorts in PE and we were doing track today, so I got a lot of steps that way. Can we go for a walk later so I can get some more?"

"Sure, Bud. I think we can do that." Booth shifted in his chair a little, making room for the waitress to put down their shakes. "Listen, Parker, yesterday, when you were pushing the stroller around at the bookstore to get more steps, did anyone talk to you?"

Parker thought for a minute. "No."

"Did anyone bump the stroller or maybe the diaper bag?"

"I don't think so."

"Did you leave the stroller for even a second or stop to read a book?"

"Uh-uh." Parker took a sip of his giant shake. "Is this about that note?"

"Yeah. It's just kind of a mystery we're trying to figure out."

Parker chewed on a fry. "There was a guy who dropped a bunch of books."

"Did you speak to him?" Brennan asked.

"No, but he talked to me."

Booth's back and shoulders went rigid and he leaned forward. "Parker. This is important. I need you to tell me what happened."

Parker looked nervous. "I just picked up a book and gave it to him. That's all."

Brennan could see the tension on Booth's face and on Parker's, too. "It's okay, Parker." She soothed. "We're just trying to figure out how the note got in the bag. You aren't in any trouble."

"He just said 'thank you.' I don't think I said anything back to him. Maybe I said 'you're welcome.' I don't really remember."

"That has to be it." Brennan said to Booth

"Yeah. I already called the bookstore for their security footage. Apparently they don't have any."

"No cameras?" Brennan was surprised.

"Manager says theft isn't really a problem for them. They've never felt the need to invest in a security system."

"Do you think the guy who dropped the books is like, a bad guy, or something?"

"We don't really know, Parks. Can you describe him?"

Parker took a long, drawn out sip through his straw. "Um, his pants were gray and he had on a baseball cap."

"Okay, okay, that's good." Booth urged him on. "Anything else?"

"He sounded funny."

"Funny how?"

"He kinda sounded like my history teacher."

"I don't know what your history teacher sounds like, Parker." Booth pointed out.

"She's from Arkansas. Or maybe, Alabama? An A state in the south, I'm pretty sure."

"She has an accent." Brennan concluded.

"Yeah. I remember I kinda thought he sounded like her."

"Alright, well, if you think of anything else about this guy, you let me or Bones know, right away, okay?"

"Okay." Parker agreed.

The waitress approached the table. "Can I get you guys anything else?"

"Just the check." Booth answered.

"Oh, you're all set."

"What? No, I haven't paid."

"No, a man called in. Gave me a credit card number and told me to use it to pay your bill. He said he was a friend of yours."

Booth was instantly suspect. "What did he say?"

"Actually he asked me to write down a message for you. I put it on the bottom of your check. He was so polite. Very southern." She handed Booth the paper. "I love surprises like this. It's always so fun."

Booth was only half listening as looked at the check, his blood running cold. "Yeah...fun."

Brennan leaned over to look as well and felt her stomach clench.

"_Hope the 4 of you enjoyed your snacks. It was good to see you again."_


	4. Chapter 4

**My apologies for the troubles with the FFN site. Hopefully they have the kinks all worked out now!**

* * *

><p>"We're nowhere on this guy." Booth said in disgust as he sat down on the couch in Brennan's office several hours later.<p>

"Nothing?" She looked up from a file on her desk.

"Nope. The credit card was one of those preloaded ones. He bought it at a drug store in Texas about three months ago. Paid cash."

"If he's from Texas that would explain the accent."

"Well, he's here now. He called from a payphone about five blocks from the diner. It was wiped clean. Not so much as a crack head's fingerprint on it."

"He's smart."

"Yeah." Booth rubbed the back of his neck. "Where are the kids?"

"Parker is with Hodgins and Hadley is with Angela." She noted Booth's exhausted and strained expression. "Friday night or not, it's getting late for them. We should go home soon."

"Yeah. I, uh, I asked for a security detail on the house for the weekend."

"Do you really think that's necessary?"

"I'll just feel better knowing they're out there."

"He's made no direct threats, Booth. If anything, his communication has been cordial."

"But it's over the line, Bones. I mean, you? You're famous. It's possible he's a crazy fan. And me? I've pissed off a lot of people. Plus…"

"Plus what?"

"Sweets says that this guy could be considered to be 'escalating.'"

"Escalating?"

"Yeah. If he's from Texas but here now, he might have made that move to be closer to you."

"You just said he could be targeting you."

"Yeah, but come on, Bones. Everyone knows the best way to hurt me is to hurt my family and that first note? That was for you and talked very specifically about Hadley. I don't like it."

"The second message was for all of us."

"I don't like that any better."

She took a deep breath. "Celia called."

"And?"

"There are three sets of letters that they've flagged as alarming."

Booth's jaw set in anger. "And we're just now hearing about them?"

"Apparently, they didn't think they were that alarming until after they received your call."

"They didn't think there was anything to worry about until I told them there was something to worry about? What do you pay Celia for, Bones?"

"She's a very good publicist, Booth."

"She fails as much as she succeeds."

"That isn't true."

"Maryland should never have happened. Neither should these letters she didn't tell us about." He snapped.

"Well she's told us _now." _There was a momentary stare down until she decided she just didn't want to fight with him. _"_Do you want to know what she said?"

He took a steadying breath. "Yeah. Of course I want to know. Sorry, I'm just…I'm more than a little on edge."

"One set of four letters was from a woman in California, who seems to feel that Andy is meant for her. She emphatically tells me I'm writing the series wrong."

"Based on the phone call to the diner, we can pretty much rule her out."

"Yes. Another is a man who has proposed to me in eight different letters."

"What? That could be our guy!" Booth sat bolt upright.

"Maybe, but his letters come from prison. At one point, he mentions that he hopes I will wait for him until he is released in 2026."

"Okay, so probably not our guy." His shoulders slumped in defeat.

"No."

"And the last set?"

"Five letters. A man, who says he likes my books. He says that he's just discovering me. He sent a letter for each book, complimenting my writing."

"That doesn't sound so unusual."

"No, except, there was a letter per book and they came in within ten days of each other."

"Ten days? Like he read all five books in ten days?"

"Yes."

"That's seems…obsessive."

"There's something else."

"What?"

"The letters came from Texas. Four months ago."

"Texas…a month before the preloaded credit card was purchased."

"Yes."

"We aren't lucky enough that he wrote a return address on them, are we?"

She shook her head. "No."

Booth sighed. "No, of course not. Ask Celia to send all three sets of letters over, but I especially want that last guy's."

"I did. They'll be here by courier in the morning."

"We might be able to get fingerprints off the letters or DNA off the envelope." Booth's eyes glinted the way she'd seen them shine when he was on the trail of something big.

"Booth, even if we did find prints or DNA, he hasn't done anything wrong. You can't arrest him for buying our meal. He hasn't broken any laws."

"That doesn't mean I can't stop him."

"Booth…"

"Look, Bones, I'm not going to do anything crazy, okay? But clearly, this guy has issues. He needs to know this has to stop."

He said the words convincingly and she nodded like she believed him.

But they both knew he would do whatever it took for them all to be safe.


	5. Chapter 5

***Happy Birthday to my friend and beta, jadedrepartee!***

* * *

><p>The faucet dripped lazily into the bubbles and Brennan absently toed at it as she relaxed in the tub. Hadley was in bed, Parker and Booth were playing a video game and all she wanted was to wash away the stress of the last two days.<p>

She felt the hot water begin to ease her tense muscles and sank just a bit deeper into the suds. Sighing, she closed her eyes and she tried very hard not to think about the two FBI Agents parked in front of her home or the reason they were there. She wasn't generally one for wishing, she found it foolish and illogical, but in this instance she couldn't help but wish all of it would just blow over.

"You're going to turn into a prune." Booth was standing over the tub when she opened her eyes and she smiled at the lustful gleam in his eyes.

"I thought you were playing a video game."

"I won three rounds. He gave up. He's in bed, snoring already." Booth sat on the tub surround, pulled his pajama pants up to his knees and plunged his feet and calves into the water.

"He's been doing a lot of extra walking and running for his project. I'm sure he's tired." She sighed as he found her hip with his foot and began to run his big toe down her leg. "Did you lock up?"

"Yeah." A wicked grin spread across his face. "Are you coming out or am I coming in?" He sloshed the water, trying to part the bubbles for a better view.

"Out. The water is starting to cool."

He waggled his eyebrows at her. "I'll warm it up for you."

She rolled her eyes in mock irritation. "Just hand me my towel, please."

"Me first." Swinging his feet out of the tub, he grabbed the closest towel to dry off his legs, and then retrieved a dry towel from the linen closet. "My Lady." He offered gallantly, holding the towel open so she could step right into it.

She let out a small laugh. "Why thank you, kind sir." She took the hand he held out and stepped out of the tub, as he wrapped the soft, thick cotton around her and pulled her against him. "This is much warmer than the water would have been." She murmured in his ear.

He rubbed slow circles on her back, drying the skin beneath the towel as she hummed contentedly.

"You know, Bones, I've been thinking."

"Did you hurt yourself?"

"Funny."

"I can be quite amusing."

"So you've mentioned." His hands stilled, settling at the small of her back, as held her close, and spoke into her hair. "I've been thinking," he started again. "One day soon, you and I should go away for a three day weekend. We don't have to go far, but just you and me, and a bed and breakf-"

"What did you just say?" She pulled back, her eyes wide.

"I said someday soon we should go away together."

"No. No. You said '_one_ day soon.'"

"Okaaaay. What's wrong?"

"Oh my God, Booth." Dread filled her, pouring through her veins.

"Look if you're not ready to leave the baby…" He searched her eyes, concerned by her reaction.

"No, that's…that's not it." She gathered her thoughts. "The first note?"

"What about it?"

"I don't think it _was_ the first note."

"What do you mean?"

"Monday, I took Hadley with me to the library. I wanted to look at some old newspaper articles on microfiche."

"Okay." Booth looked both confused and concerned.

"She needed a clean diaper, so I left the table, but when we came back there was a note."

The color drained from Booth's face. "What did it say?" He sounded nearly murderous and it chilled her.

"It said '_I hope to meet you one day soon_.'"

"Jesus, Bones!" He stepped back, and shoved his hands into his hair and looked, up staring at the ceiling for a moment before he spoke again. "Why are you just now telling me this?" Without waiting for an answer, he stalked into their bedroom.

She followed him, tucking her towel closed. "I didn't remember until just now, when you used the same words!"

Booth whirled around to face her. "Someone slips you a note three days before you start getting other, threatening messages, _and you don't remember?_" He spat it out like he didn't believe her.

"Yes." Her voice implored him. "Booth, I frequently get notes and messages from fans. You know that. How many times have we been approached by people when we're out? We've gotten coffee for free, I've been hugged at random, asked for autographs…it happens fairly often, especially after a new release and you always get upset. Most of the time it's not anything to worry about. I just… I filed it away. I forgot. I'm sorry." She could see he was still angry. "Right after I found the note, Hadley spit up everywhere. I just packed everything up and went home. It never crossed my mind again."

"Bones, you have to tell me when these things happen!"

"I didn't think it was a big deal."

"How could you not think it was a big deal?" He snapped, his volume rising.

"There weren't any other notes then! It was just one note, left on a public table in a public library. I write books. It's certainly not outside the realm of possibility that I would be recognized in a library!" She matched his anger and his tone and they were nearly nose to nose now.

"I can't protect you and the kids if I don't know what's happening!"

"There was nothing to protect us from then!"

"Well there is now! Bones, this guy is clearly infatuated with you. He knows where you are. He goes where you go. Dammit! He knows our daughter has your eyes. I'm telling you he's dangerous and you cannot keep this kind of thing from me!"

"I wasn't! I didn't remember until now!"

"I find that hard to believe." His tone was flat.

"I don't lie, Booth." She gritted out from clenched teeth. "Do you really think I would keep something like this from you if I had remembered?"

"Just yesterday you didn't think this was anything to worry about at all, so yeah, I can see where you might have chosen not mention it."

"You are unbelievable! How dare you imply that keeping our family safe isn't important to me? Is it because I'm cold? Is that it? I'm still that cold fish you've always known? I couldn't possibly love the kids like you do, right? Our family couldn't mean that much to me?"

"That is not what I said, Bones, and you know it. I just don't think you see the danger here!"

"I see it just fine."

"And still you didn't tell me until now."

"Because I didn't remember!" She threw her hands up. "I don't know what else you want me to say."

"I'm just, I'm pissed Bones. I'm just really pissed about all of this."

"That much is clear."

He grabbed jeans and a sweatshirt and began to change his clothes.

"What are you doing?" She tried to push down her panic. Booth wouldn't leave. Not really.

"I…I gotta clear my head. I'm going for a walk."

"It's midnight!"

"Yeah, well, it's nice out and I'm a big boy." He grabbed his gun. "I'll be fine."

"Now who's not worried?" she called after him as he swept out of their bedroom.

She stood still, taking some deep, calming breaths, resisting the urge to run after him; to fix this. Once she heard the front door slam, she took one last breath, and then slipped on her pajamas. Quietly, she checked on the kids, relieved to see they'd slept through their parents' argument. She turned off all the lights except one in the hall and the one on her nightstand. She climbed into bed, still quivering with frustration and near tears that this situation reduced them to fighting. He'd left the house to think and she was left in their bed without him.

Picking up her book, she attempted to concentrate on the words on the page, but none of them registered. She couldn't stop looking at the clock; couldn't stop listening for the front door to open; for Booth's footsteps on the stairs.

He wasn't the only one in the family who knew how to worry.

* * *

><p>It took Booth two passes through the neighborhood before he realized just how unreasonable he'd been. He looped through a few more times before he understood why he'd reacted the way that he had.<p>

Approaching the house, he checked in with the two agents on watch. Satisfied with their report, he let himself inside and locked the door behind him. He kicked his shoes off on the mat and shrugged out of his jacket, hanging it in the closet before making his usual check of doors and windows.

He made his way upstairs, switching off the light she'd left on for him before turning down the hall. Quietly he pushed open Parker's door, peeking in to make sure his son was sleeping soundly. He then padded down the hall to Hadley's room, going all the way in to make sure she was peacefully dreaming. Satisfied that his kids were safely in their beds, he closed her door and went further down the hall, drawn by the warmth of the light coming from their bedroom.

"You're still awake." He said softly, his voice filled with apology.

"You always say we shouldn't go to bed angry." Her reminder was gentle, not accusatory, as she placed the book on her nightstand and looked at him expectantly.

He crossed the room and rounded the bed to her side. He sat down on the edge of the mattress and took her hand. "I'm sorry, Bones. I'm so sorry."

"Booth…" she whispered. She could feel the regret radiating off him as she brought her free hand to his cheek.

"I just…" He took a deep, shaky breath, softly stroking her knuckles with his thumb. "For so long I wanted this life and I really wasn't sure I'd ever have it." He looked up from their hands and into her eyes. "But I do. I have this amazing life that you've given me and the thought that someone out there wants to hurt you…hurt us…it just makes me crazy."

"I didn't keep it from you on purpose."

"I know. I know. I'm just…I'm losing it. I'm scared about what this guy might do and I took it out on you. I didn't mean any of it."

"I know you didn't. I'm sorry, too." She moved her hand to his nape and stroked his hair. "This is stressful, but we don't know what he wants. He could still be harmless."

"My gut says otherwise."

"I know that, too. But we can't let it get to us. We have to be stronger than this."

"You're right. And we are. We are stronger than anything this guy can throw at us."

She smiled softly. "I think so, too."

He leaned in, kissing her, desperate to show her how sorry he was. He needed to be sure she'd forgiven him; needed to be sure they were okay.

She wove her fingers into his hair and pulled him closer. He could feel the reassurance he sought so desperately in her kiss and he could tell she, too, needed to know that everything was normal; everything was fine.

It became frenzied quickly as the need to reconnect and be certain of one another enveloped them both. Clothes were shed; there were quiet murmurs of love and gasps of pleasure. And as he found his way inside her, as she arched up to meet him, the fight, the tension and the fear faded away and there was nothing between them but their love for one another.


	6. Chapter 6

Booth awoke to the sound of his partner in the shower. He briefly contemplated joining her, then realized with a twelve year old and a seven month old in the house, the direction he imagined the shower going wasn't going to happen.

Instead he lay awake and listened to the noises that made up his life now. He could hear Parker clattering around downstairs, probably getting a bowl of cereal at a volume level only a pre-teen boy could manage. He heard Hadley stirring on the baby monitor, making the first gurgles and sighs of waking up for the day. A lawnmower started outside, a dog was barking in the distance and there was a general hum of neighborhood activity.

The shower turned off and by now he could accurately predict the next sequence of events. He grinned as heard the shower door slide open, then shut. A moment later he heard the click of the medicine cabinet opening, the scrape of her lotion being taken off the shelf, another click as the cabinet was shut. He knew, although he couldn't hear anything, that she putting lotion on her legs and he was fairly certain he could catch a faint whiff of jasmine wafting into the bedroom from underneath the bathroom door. The cabinet clicked open and shut again and he heard her start to sort through the hangers on her side of the closet, sliding them down the rod as she rifled through her choices for the day.

This really was the life he'd always hoped for.

This was the life he'd do anything to protect.

She threw open the bathroom door and he his grin widened to a smile. She was wearing jeans and a parent's sized version of Parker's baseball team jersey. Her hair was in her signature messy ponytail and he knew she wore it that was so everyone at the game could see that she was in the stands to support number 15. Booth. She looked every bit the suburban Little League mom and he loved her for it.

"What?" She asked, a bit self-consciously.

"You look amazing."

She looked down at her clothes and shrugged. "It's a baseball shirt."

"For my kid's team." He pointed out, while thinking to himself _"With my name on the back."_

"Well, yes. What other kind of shirt would I wear to show my support of his team?"

"I just…God, it's sexy."

That earned him an eye roll. "Can you focus on getting your day started, please? You need to get up now or we're going to be late."

Booth glanced at the alarm clock. "He doesn't need to be at the field for another two hours."

"Yes, but I assumed you'd want to stop at the lab first and pick up those letters from Celia."

"Yeah, you're right. I do." He rolled out of bed and crossed to the bathroom doorway where she was still standing. In one swift move he pinned her to the doorframe and began to nuzzle her neck. "You really do look incredible."

"It's just a team shirt, Booth." She sighed contentedly as he pressed soft kisses along her neck up to her ear. "There are always several women in the stands wearing shirts like this."

"You are," he murmured against her skin, "the hottest one in the bleachers every week. You know that, don't you?"

She smiled. "Thank you." She ran her fingers up his sides and then wrapped her arms around his neck. "Booth?"

"Mmmm?" He was still taking her all in, inhaling the heady combination of jasmine lotion, fresh smelling shampoo and something innately just _her._

"Once we get the letters to forensics, can we just try to enjoy the weekend like we normally would?"

Something in her tone made him look up, and he took note of the worried crease between her eyes.

"I…" she paused, and he waited, knowing she was trying to find the right words. "I just don't want to let all of this spoil our weekend."

"Yeah. We can do that." He pressed his forehead to hers. "We can definitely do that."

They stood together for a while, each wordlessly drinking in everything they adored about the other. He loved these times of quiet intimacy. The ones that weren't about sex or even about love, but the ones that cemented them further as partners in every sense.

A sharp cry from the baby monitor ended their sweet moment.

Brennan stepped out of his arms and smiled. "I'll get her. You shower."

* * *

><p>An hour later they were all standing in her office.<p>

"There's no package." She was frustrated. "It should be here. Usually security brings my packages right into the lab."

"Maybe they just haven't brought it in yet. It could still be at the security desk."

"Maybe."

"Parker and I will go ask. You get diaper duty."

She eyed him suspiciously. "What have you smelled?"

"Nothing!" he said with mock innocence, setting the baby carrier down next to Brennan. "C'mon, Parks." They jogged off and Brennan looked down at their daughter.

"Fortunately for him, your father's charm is considerable," she told the baby. As she leaned down to unbuckle the straps to the car seat, she spotted her bag leaning up against the side of her couch.

"Just one minute, Hadley." She grabbed her bag and turned it upside down, the contents spilling over her desk. Pulling on a pair of gloves, she quickly sifted through the papers until she found what she was looking for.

"_I hope to meet you 1 day soon."_

"Whoa! It was bad enough for gloves? What are you feeding her?" Booth teased from her doorway.

She looked up. "I haven't changed her yet." She motioned to the papers on her desk. "Look."

He crossed the room to see what she had discovered, quickly scanning the paper she was pointing to.

"You still have it."

"Yes. When Hadley spit up she was so fussy, I just packed everything up and left. I never threw it away."

"This is good. We'll get this to forensics, too."

"Security had the letters from Celia's office?"

"Yeah. I gave them to Jenowski and Laurence."

"Who?"

"The agents following us around today. They're going to run them over to the Hoover and then meet us at the ball field."

"You don't want to take them to forensics yourself?"

"No, Bones. This is our weekend, remember?" He'd agreed with what she had said earlier and was determined to see it through.

She smiled. "Okay, then." She pulled open her drawer and pulled out an evidence bag. "I'll bag this and get it to the agents. You can change Hadley's diaper."

"Wha…I can bag it."

"You could, if you carried evidence bags. But you don't. I, however, have one handy. And," she wiggled her fingers. "I have gloves." She gently slid the note into the bag. "Be right back!" She said sweetly, winking at Parker as she passed him in the doorway.

"Burn, Dad!"

"Ha-ha. Hand me the baby wipes." Booth grumbled, but melted once he lifted his daughter out of her carrier. "Lucky for you, you're cute." He told her, wrinkling his nose and smiling all at once. "Stinky, but cute."

* * *

><p>The rest of the weekend was every bit as normal as they could have wanted. Parker's game was followed by celebratory ice cream sundaes and several laps around the neighborhood park to get his step count up. They all tumbled exhaustedly into bed Saturday night, only to repeat their normalcy on Sunday. Breakfast, church for the boys, homework for Parker, a stroll around the neighborhood (although Parker ran most of it) and after dinner, Brennan and Hadley stayed home (with the agents out front) while Booth took Parker back to Rebecca.<p>

As always, Rebecca met them on the porch. "Hey Buddy! I missed you!" She embraced her son enthusiastically. "Hey, Seeley," she said to Booth, who nodded his greeting in return.

"Hi mom!" Parker squirmed in her arms, and Booth had to smile, knowing that Parker felt too big for hugs from his mother.

Laughing, she released him. "Did you have fun with your dad?"

"Yeah. You missed a good game on Saturday, Mom! I made an awesome double play."

"I'm sorry, Parks. It was one of those things I just couldn't get out of."

"I know. It's cool," Parker said cheerfully.

"He was good?" Rebecca asked Booth.

"He was great."

"Good."

"You still got that early meeting on Wednesday?"

"Yeah. Can you still take him to school?"

"Or course."

"Thanks Seeley." She smiled. After all these years, they'd finally really gotten the co-parenting thing down.

"Parks, I will see you, bright and early, Wednesday morning."

"Sweet." They bumped fists, a replacement for a hug.

"Go on inside. I want to talk to your mom for a sec, okay?"

"Okay. Bye, Dad. See you Wednesday."

"6:45. We'll get breakfast before school. Be ready."

"I will!" Parker flashed a grin and went inside.

"Parker! Go pack your lunch for tomorrow!" Rebecca called in after him.

"Okay!" The muffled response came from far inside the house, so Booth knew Parker was out of earshot.

"What's going on?"

"It's probably not a big deal as far as Parker goes, but there's this thing with Bones…" He paused, trying to figure out the right words.

"Is she alright?"

"Yeah, it's just, there's a fan and he's leaving some notes for her, finding her in public places, that kind of thing."

"A creeper, huh?"

"We're going to put a stop to it, but in the mean-time, just keep your eyes open, okay?"

"You think he'll show up here?" Rebecca was alarmed.

"No. Not really. I talked to Parker about staying in a group, being aware of his surroundings, that kind of thing, just in case. If you could talk to him, too, though, that'd be great."

"Sure." She agreed, visibly relaxing.

"Thanks."

"Let me know if anything changes and thanks again for helping me out. I can't wait until this case is over."

"He's my son, Rebecca. I'm happy for any extra time with him."

She nodded. "See you Wednesday morning, then?"

"Yeah. Sounds good." He leaned into the screen door and shouted into the house. "Bye Parks!"

"Bye Dad!"

"Bye, Seeley. Say hello to Temperance for me."

"Will do." He walked down the four front steps back out to his car, turned around, gave one last wave to Parker in the window before he got in and drove towards home.

Home.

There were still, even now, moments where he couldn't believe his home was a place in the suburbs with the woman he loved more than anything and the most beautiful baby girl he'd ever seen. Moments when it still awed him that his life had become everything he'd prayed it might ever be.

And suddenly that overwhelming feeling of dread gripped him. The feeling that something was about to happen, that life cannot be so good, so easy, for long, coursed through his veins.

And despite the great, quiet, _normal_ weekend they'd had, Booth suddenly knew, with clarity, the worst was yet to come.


	7. Chapter 7

Monday morning, Booth left the house early, which meant Brennan and Hadley were tailed to the Jeffersonian by the FBI agents assigned to the security detail outside their house.

Brennan smiled when she spotted them in her rearview mirror, following her as she switched lanes. Although the reason they were following her was disquieting, she found an innate comfort in the way Booth cared for them, even when he wasn't physically present.

She parked her car in her assigned space and got out as the agents pulled up just a few feet away. Opening the back passenger side door, she lifted the baby carrier out of the base. "You are getting heavy," she told her drowsy daughter as she hefted her bag and the diaper bag onto one shoulder and grabbed the car seat handle with both hands to carry it more easily.

"You need some help, Dr. Brennan?" The agent she now knew was Agent Laurence had rolled down his window and called out to her.

"I'm fine, thank you. You can go ahead and go."

"We're under strict instructions from Agent Booth to wait until you are safely in the building.

"Of course you are." She picked up her pace, made it to the door & swiped the keypad with her security pass. Once it opened she stepped through, turning sideways to give Agent Laurence and his partner a little wave of dismissal.

The agent waved back, but didn't budge, so she stepped all the way in and let the door fall shut behind her.

She made her way to the daycare, moving slowly from all the bulk in and on her arms. Two bags, a car seat and a baby were simply too much to carry as Hadley got bigger. "Next time your father isn't with us, I'm bringing the stroller." She told the baby.

She signed Hadley in, hung up her diaper bag and went over the pick-up procedures with the staff (at Booth's request) one more time. Satisfied that no one but she, Booth, Angela or Hodgins could take Hadley out of the building, she kissed her baby goodbye and went to start her workday.

She was three hours into her day and well engrossed in Daisy Wick's latest paper when her phone rang. "Brennan," she answered absently, still half reading.

"We got the forensics back on the notes and letters." Booth sounded displeased and she knew the answer before she even asked.

"They didn't find anything, did they?"

"Nope. Not one damn thing." He sounded tense and uneasy. "Can you get away for early lunch?"

She checked her watch. "In an hour?" There was a knock on her doorframe.

"No, now," Booth answered. "We're meeting Sweets. He's got some ideas about this guy he wants us to hear."

"Okay." She waved the mailroom boy in as she spoke. "Give me fifteen minutes to finish what I'm doing here." She smiled as she took the bundle the courier handed her and dismissed him with a head nod.

"I'll pick you up in twenty." Booth disconnected.

Brennan hung up the phone, dropped the mail into the bin on the corner of her desk and turned her attention back to Ms. Wick's paper. When she was done reading, Brennan outlined a few areas she thought could be expanded or improved, then put the paper aside and checked her watch. Since there wasn't enough time to begin reading the next research paper on her list before Booth's arrival, she began to sort through her mail.

There was much. An anthropology journal, a letter thanking her for her support of the DC public library system, a request to head up a dig that she'd already turned down twice and a letter from Parker's PTA president, thanking her for her donation towards their new computer lab.

It was only the last envelope that piqued her interest. A plain white envelope, no return address, her name and the Jeffersonian address typed in a familiar, plain font. She pulled some gloves from her desk drawer, and carefully opened the envelope.

"_I enjoyed the ballgame with you this weekend. I found the 5__th__ inning especially exciting and you looked so pretty in your team shirt. See you soon."_

She closed her eyes, almost as if to will the note away. But when she opened them, it was still there and the ominous words made her feel sick.

_See you soon._

"Hey Bones, you ready? Sweets is probably already at-" She looked up to see Booth standing just inside her door and she could see the second he registered something was wrong. "What is it? That's the matter?"

"There was a…another note. In my mail. It just came."

He came into her office and over to her chair. Standing beside her, he peered over her shoulder.

Brennan had never, in all her time with Booth, seen the mixture of rage and fear that crossed Booth's face right then. "Son of bitch," he muttered.

"I…he was watching us, Booth. Watching me. And he'll see me soon? What does that mean?"

"I don't know, but the only way this guy is getting close to you is over my dead body."

"Please don't say that," she whispered hoarsely.

"Hey," he said gently as he swiveled the chair in his direction and leaned in. He placed one hand on the desk, near the note, the other on the arm of her chair, pinning her in, looking her directly in the eye. "I am not going to let this bastard touch you, okay? It's not going to happen."

"He's a crazy person, Booth. We don't know what he's capable of."

"No, but I know what we're capable of and no one does this to us and gets away with it, okay?"

She nodded. "Okay."

"Let's bag and tag this. I'm sure it's clean, but we'll check it, anyway."

She handed him a bag and he held it open as she slipped the letter inside. She then bagged the envelope as well.

"You ready? Sweets is waiting. Maybe he'll have some insight for us."

She took off her gloves and stood and he grabbed her hand, giving it a little squeeze of support and confidence.

"Thank you, Booth."

"For what?"

"For behaving like you've got this handled. Just the other day I was the confident one and now you are and…" she smiled softly. "I needed that."

He smiled at her, the genuine, all-the-way-to-his-eyes-smile that she loved so much. "That's what it's all about, Bones. Give and take." He squeezed her hand again. "We'll get him. We'll stop this. I promise."

She believed him. "I know."

"You ready?"

"Yes. I find I would like very much to get some fresh air."

* * *

><p>They left the lab, Booth's hand at the small of her back, his demeanor deceptively calm.<p>

But she knew him. She noticed the way his eyes swept the area constantly, looking for anything out of the ordinary. She felt him tense when a man passed by them, bumping her arm and she saw the way he cased the diner as they entered, assessing the other customers.

Sweets looked up from his coffee and smiled, but the smile faded and a crease formed between his brows as he looked from Booth to Brennan and back again.

"Agent Booth, Dr. Brennan. You both look a little tense," he said as they took their seats across from him. "Is something wrong?"

"Bones got another note."

"Another one?"

"Yes." Brennan confirmed. "This latest one seems more…ominous than the rest."

"Ominous? How?" Sweets looked back and forth between them.

"See for yourself." Booth handed over the evidence bag.

Sweets read the note, eyebrows raised. "Wow. Okay. This guy is escalating big time and fast."

"Break it down for us, Sweets."

"Okay, the first letter or two to the publisher were pretty normal. 'Dear Dr. Brennan, I recently read your first novel. I think you are very talented.' Blah, blah, blah."

"Blah, blah, blah?" questioned Brennan.

"I'm paraphrasing." Sweets defended

"Seems inaccurate." She shot back.

"Okay, let's just move on." Booth refereed. "What else, Sweets?"

"The third letter gets a little more personal. His word choice here is interesting. He says 'I'm so happy to have discovered you.' Not your novels or your writing, but you. That's telling."

"_What_ does it tell you?" Brennan asked.

"It indicates an interest in you, the person, beyond you, the writer."

The partners both frowned as Sweets continued.

"The fourth letter is slightly escalated again. He comments on your picture on the jacket of the hard cover. He says you're lovely. The fifth letter is more rambling. He talks about how smart you are, how pretty you are, how he hopes, someday to find someone like you to be with. All those things are not typical fan musings."

"That's true."

"Why the hell didn't your publicist catch that?" Booth snapped, turning to look at her.

"She likely did and was waiting for one more letter, a more direct threat, before she said anything," guessed Sweets. "None of these letters indicate any kind of harm. More like an anonymous schoolboy crush; a…a secret Valentine, if you will."

"And now?"

"Well, now the notes are showing up in person. He's finding you in public, sending letters to you at the lab and these newer notes are escalating, as well. In the first one he seems to indicate an awareness that he doesn't know you, hasn't met you yet. In the second note, he compliments your family, comments on your child's eyes matching yours. That's a social nicety, something you might say to someone you know, an acquaintance. He's either pretending to know you personally, or he thinks he does."

Brennan felt Booth's entire body tense up as Sweets went on.

"The third message, the one over the phone, that's gutsy. He saw an opportunity and he took it. He's watching. And again, saying it's nice to see you all again indicates he thinks he has a place in your life. It's the kind of thing you say when you're leaving a party or after you bump into someone on the street. There is a familiarity to these letters that doesn't actually exist to anyone but him."

"What about this last one?" Booth pointed at the bag.

"He's not being shy anymore. He's watching you and he tells you so. He feels like he watched the ball game as an invited guest. He says he will see you soon. He's straight up telling you his end game, here."

"Which is?" Brennan asked, not at all certain she wanted to hear the answer.

"It's you, Dr. Brennan," Sweets said solemnly. "His end game is you."


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: I try to get review thank yous out, but sometimes I just don't manage. Chapter 7 was one of those times and I apologize for that. Thank you all so, SO much, for all the kind reviews and feedback. I'm beyond thrilled you are enjoying my story. You rock, every single one of you._

* * *

><p>The latest note yielded nothing more than any of the others. This didn't surprise either Booth or Brennan, but it still left them reeling. The lack of progress was what prompted Booth to stop by Cam's office late Monday afternoon.<p>

"Cam." He hovered in her doorway.

"Booth! Hey!"

"You, uh, you got a second?"

"Uh-oh."

"What?"

"Sounds serious." She said, motioning him in.

"It is." He took a seat across from her, his fingers worrying his poker chip.

"What's up?"

"Bones has been getting letters."

"Yeah, Angela mentioned something about that."

"Well, Sweets seems think this guy is after her."

"After her how?"

"He's infatuated with her. Wants to be with her. Sweets says she is his end game. The prize."

"God. A real nut."

"Yeah, so…"

"You don't even have to ask. I'll increase security." She could see his shoulders relax a little in response. "It's that bad?"

"We just don't know who this creep is or what he wants. He commented on Hadley's eyes, he watched Parker's ballgame…" Booth rubbed the back of his neck and blew out a deep breath. "He's watching all of us. But it's clear it's Bones he's after." He swallowed hard and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "I'm going to be picking her up and dropping her off as much as possible. If I can't bring her to work, she'll have an FBI escort. And if she tries to leave this lab for any reason, she cannot go alone. Please, make sure she has someone with her."

"You want me to baby-sit Dr. Brennan."

"Yeah, I do. And I've talked with Angela and Hodgins, too. I'll talk to the squinterns if I have to. She just can't be unprotected."

"You think she would try to go out alone?"

"You know how she is about asking for help."

Cam smiled. "That I do."

"Thanks, Cam."

"You be careful, too, Big Man. If this guy thinks you are in his way…" She didn't finish the sentence.

"I'll be fine. My priority here is Bones."

"And you don't think she'd be destroyed if something happened to you?" Cam lectured, eyebrows raised. "You watch yourself."

Booth stood. "I will."

Cam watched him walk out the door, his shoulders hunched back up, the stress evident in his posture. Concerned for her friends, she picked up the phone to speak with the head of security.

* * *

><p>Monday wrapped up with a quiet, tension-filled dinner as a feeling of unease permeated the Brennan-Booth home. Hadley's bath and bedtime routine was the lone bright spot of the evening. After the baby was in bed, Booth half watched a baseball game, while Brennan attempted to read a paper, but neither had any real focus on what they were doing. Unable to think about anything but the threat that lingered against them, they went to bed early, hoping a good night's sleep would make it all a little less ominous.<p>

It didn't

Tuesday dawned with a dark gray sky that served to carry over their moods from the day before. Booth was still worried, Brennan was still anxious and even Hadley seemed to have misplaced her usual cheery disposition.

"Where's the damn escort?" Booth kept peering out the front window.

"Booth, just go. They'll be here soon."

"No. No way, Bones. If I had my way they'd be parked here every minute we're home, but Hacker's already on my back about all the manpower I'm using. If he didn't still have a thing for you, we'd be getting no help at all."

"So you are exploiting Andrew's remaining feelings for me to utilize FBI resources?"

That made Booth smile a little as he stared out into the street. "I told you; I'll do whatever it takes."

Booth watched as a dark sedan pulled up to the curb in front of the house. "They're finally -"

An unhappy shriek erupted from the baby bouncer, cutting him off and he dropped the curtain and turned towards his daughter. "Hey, Little Girl. What are you complaining about?" He followed her gaze and spotted her stuffed cow in a heap several feet in front of her seat. Scooping it up, he dropped down to one knee and tucked it back into her hands. "If you stop chucking your cow to the floor, you'll be much happier."

Hadley grinned and waved her cow around by its leg. Smiling, Booth pressed a kiss to her head. "Daddy loves you madly, Hadley," he cooed his little rhyme for her, and when she responded with a happy coo and smile of her own, he rubbed her tiny cheek with his finger. "No more grumpies, okay?" In response, Hadley shoved the cow's nose into her mouth and chewed on it.

Booth chuckled and stood to kiss Brennan.

"Please be safe." He told her, as he took her in his arms.

"I will."

"Cam is increasing security at the lab. The agents outside won't leave until you are inside safely. Don't go out for lunch. Have someone else pick it up for you or pack lunch to take with you. Stay in the lab. When you are done for the day, call me and I'll come to the lab and walk you guys to the car. I'll follow you home. If I can't, I'll get you some agents who will."

"Booth, We've been over this. I'm no less concerned than you are. I promise, I will take every precaution."

"Okay. You'll text me when you're leaving?"

"And I'll call when I'm safely at my desk."

He smiled at her, but it couldn't mask the worry in his eyes. "I love you."

"I love you, too." She answered and tiptoed up to reassure him with a kiss.

Her reassurance wasn't enough. All the way to the office he kept turning everything over in his mind. The letters to the publicist, the notes, the phone call to the diner…it all made his stomach churn. And it was all so methodical…no prints, no hairs…the envelopes were self-sticking so no DNA…the guy was good and had been from the beginning.

Sweets was sure there would be a mistake. At some point the note writer would screw up, give them something to go on. The bolder he got, the more likely it was that he would slip up. Booth wasn't sure they could afford to wait that long. How bold would he get before he made that mistake? And what would the cost be when he did?

He was pulling into the Hoover for his 7:30 meeting when his phone chimed with a text.

"_Leaving now."_

He checked his watch, noting the time. If his meeting went well, it would be over before she called.

* * *

><p>It didn't go well. At all. The room was cramped, the coffee was bad and the big boss was pissed. Booth kept quiet, rode out the storm and kept checking the clock on the wall.<p>

She didn't call.

Orders were given, papers handed out, taskforce positions assigned. Booth registered none of it. Even if he estimated a generous amount of time to drop Hadley at the daycare, it was well past time for her to check in.

Where was she?

Questions were asked, demands were made and goals were set. Booth didn't hear them.

Panic was setting it and he couldn't leave. Whatever goodwill Hacker had afforded him would be gone in an instant if he walked out of that room and he needed Hacker to keep Brennan safe.

His phone buzzed in his hand with a text message.

"_Roadwork on 47__th__. Had to detour."_

He was sure his sigh of relief echoed in the room. He texted back.

"_Where are you now?"_

He waited for her answer.

And waited.

And waited.

And lost his patience just as the meeting broke up around him. He bolted out the door before he could be intercepted by Hacker or anyone else, the phone already to his ear, her number dialed.

"Brennan."

"You're okay?"

"Yes, Booth, we're fine. The agents are right behind us." There was annoyance was in her voice. "I can't safely text and drive."

"So where are you?"

"The detour rerouted us through Tyler, near the library. I should be at the Jeffersonian within a few minutes."

"The library…" Something clicked in Booth's head.

"What about it?"

"Call me when you're in your office. I have to make a phone call."

"Okay."

He disconnected before he heard a goodbye and quickly dialed another number.

"Hello?" the voice on the other end sounded distracted.

"Angela?"

"Booth? I just left the daycare and Hadley and Brennan haven't checked in yet. Is everything okay?" Angela sounded worried.

"Everything's fine, there was road construction or something. Listen, I have something I need you to run down for me."

"Sure."

"The card the note writer used to pay for our lunch came from the Dallas, Texas area."

"Right."

"Bones said something about being near the library which got me thinking; can you access the Dallas public library system? Maybe see if there was one person who checked out some or all of her books any time in the last six months?"

"Uh, yeah. I can try. You think you might find our guy this way?"

"It's more of a shot than we had before."

"I just got to my office. I'll check Dallas and surrounding areas as soon as everything is up and running."

"Thanks. And make sure…"

"I know, Booth. I'll keep my eye on her. She's not going anywhere."

"You're the best, Angela."

He could hear the smile in her voice. "I know that, too." She teased him.

He disconnected the phone and felt a little more in control.

It wasn't much, but it finally felt like he had somewhere to start.


	9. Chapter 9

If there was one thing Brennan had learned in seven short months of motherhood, it was that getting out of the house on time with a baby was no easy feat. She could plan it down to the very last detail, prepare for every possible scenario and inevitably something would go wrong. There was always a diaper blow out or excessive spit up or a lost stuffed cow or some other factor Brennan had not considered. And even when it all went smoothly and she was out the door and on the road at the time she wanted to be, there was always some other delay outside of her control.

Like a detour at 47th street.

After hanging up with Booth, she sat nearly still in traffic, the agents right behind her, while she waited for the reroute to start flowing. As Hadley started to fuss in her seat, she considered, not for the first time, how nice it would be to have a nanny. If someone would come to the house in the morning, she wouldn't have to wake Hadley, dress her, feed her, pack up her cow and her diaper bag. No, she could simply give her a kiss and leave her daughter in the comfort of their home.

She couldn't help but remember Epps, though, and how quickly and easily he had gotten around Parker's nanny all those years ago.

With a shudder, she finally pulled into the Jeffersonian parking garage, grateful once more for the ultra-secure, onsite daycare.

By the time she got to her parking space, Hadley's fussing had turned into screaming and Brennan was dismayed to realize she'd forgotten the stroller yet again. Hoisting her bags onto her shoulder as the agents waited nearby, she pulled the carrier out of the car, screaming baby and all, and began to make her way to the employee entrance.

Suddenly, she saw a flurry activity in her peripheral vision and tensed with fear. Both agents were leaping from their car, pulling their weapons. "FBI," they shouted to someone behind her. Someone she couldn't see. "Don't move!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hey, guys! Easy! Friend, not foe!" Hodgins' voice sounded both alarmed and amused all at once.

Brennan turned to see him standing with both hands in the air, a to-go cup of coffee in each. Relieved it wasn't a more serious situation, she told the agents "It's fine. He's a colleague. A friend. He's okay."

They holstered their weapons and with no apologies, got back in their vehicle.

"Here," offered Hodgins, thrusting the coffee towards her. "You carry these and I'll carry her." He motioned to the baby in the carrier. "Those things weigh a ton."

Gratefully, she set the carrier down and took the coffee cups from Hodgins. "Thank you. And…sorry."

"No problem." He nodded towards the agents as he picked up Hadley. "Good to see Booth's got you guys covered." He smiled at the baby and said. "Hi there, Baby B. Don't cry. Uncle Jack's got ya now."

"Booth is very concerned about all of this," she told him, as she balanced the cups in one hand and swiped her card through the security machine with the other. "As am I."

Hodgins pulled open the door. "You should be. It's weird."

"So he spoke with you as well?"

"Yeah, of course. He's worried." Hodgins' tone didn't disguise his worry, either.

"It is all very disconcerting."

"And you guys have no leads at all?"

"Nothing. No fingerprints, no hair, no fiber. The paper was a dead end, as was the ink. All we know is that it's a man, mostly likely from the Dallas, Texas area who is now here in DC and that he's watching us…watching me." She paused, hesitant to admit her next thought. "Sweets says he's escalating."

"If that were me, I'd wanna lock you guys away until I caught the son of a bitch. You could use our lake house or our place in Aruba, if you want," he offered. "Just lay low for a while."

"I'm not going to let this force me from my life."

Hodgins nodded as they reached door of the daycare. "I can appreciate that." His phone beeped with a text message. Setting the carrier down, he checked the screen. "Ah," he said. "Angela wants an extra hot soy latte."

Knitting her brow, Brennan handed Hodgins the to-go cups. "Is one of these not for Angela?"

"It is, indeed an extra hot soy latte." He grinned. "My phone has been getting texts like an hour after people send them to me. Good thing I know her well." He pocketed the phone. "You good here?"

"Yes. Thank you."

Hodgins looked down and made a funny face at Hadley. "Bye, Baby B. Have a good day." Turning to Brennan, he smiled. "Time to deliver the coffee. See you in the lab." He gave a wave and strode off, while Brennan went inside to drop off Hadley.

* * *

><p>Booth snatched his phone off his desk before it even finished its first ring. "You're there?"<p>

"I'm inside the Jeffersonian, headed for the lab."

"Everything okay?"

"Aside from your agents almost taking out Hodgins? Yes. Everything is fine."

Booth couldn't help but chuckle. "At least they're doing their job."

"Scaring our friends is not their job," she admonished.

"Protecting you is and that's what they were doing, Bones. You know that."

She didn't answer him.

"Bones?"

He heard her take in a deep breath. "Did you…did you send me flowers?" She asked shakily.

Booth's response was icy. "No."

"There are flowers on my desk. A whole bouquet in a vase."

Booth felt the hairs on his neck stand on end. "Is there a card?" He grabbed his keys and hurried out of his office.

"Yes. The envelope says it's from Capitol Florist on 24th."

"Wait for me. I'm on my way."

"I'm going to open it."

"Just wait. I wanna be there."

"I need to know what it says, Booth."

"I need you to wait for me, Bones." He wanted to be by her side when the next blow was leveled against them.

"I…I can't. I'm going to open it."

He was sprinting to his car. "Don't hang up, then. Stay with me on the phone."

"Okay. I'm putting you on speaker so I can put on some gloves."

He heard a drawer open and shut, heard her put on the gloves. He'd recognize that sound anywhere.

"I'm opening it."

He heard the envelope flap being peeled open as he tore down the streets of DC, siren blaring.

He heard silence on her end.

"Bones?"

"I don't know what this means."

"What does it say?"

"_I chose these five flowers for their five distinct meanings. Not much longer, now._" She read off the card and a chill ran up his spine.

He slammed his hand against the steering wheel in fury. He tried to steady his voice for her. "I'm almost there. Five minutes, okay?"

"Okay."

"I'm going to hang up and call Sweets, have him come to the lab. Maybe he can see something we don't."

"Okay," she repeated.

"Bones?"

"Yeah?"

"You okay?"

"Yes. I'm alright."

He could hear that she wasn't.

And neither was he.


	10. Chapter 10

Thirty minutes later the entire team, Sweets included, had gathered around a Jeffersonian conference table.

"Let's go over what we know." Booth stood at the head of the table, leaning onto his hands, his fingers gripping the edge as if he could flip it in rage at any moment.

"We don't know _anything._" Brennan sat beside Booth, her back ramrod straight, her face stoic, but her voice betrayed the fact that she was starting to fray.

Booth looked down at her as she looked up at him. Their eyes locked in fear and tension, leaving the rest of the team out of the private, wordless conversation they were clearly having.

"Let's start with the note from today." Cam cut in, looking from Booth to Brennan. "Does that tell us anything new?"

Booth gave her a nod of thanks. "We don't have much yet. There's a team out talking to the florist now, but they probably won't find much. Angela's running some tests on the card, but it was probably written by someone in the shop."

"And what about the flowers?" Cam asked.

Hodgins spoke up. "I've identified the five flowers in the bouquet. We have Oenothera speciosa—"

"I swear to God, Hodgins if you-" Booth gripped the table tighter, his eyes flashing.

"Okay, okay. Layman's terms, please, Dr. Hodgins." Cam jumped in.

Hodgins looked chagrined. "Right, sorry. They are: azaleas, daffodils, daisies, primroses and camellias."

"How the _fuck_ does he know about daffodils and daisies?" Booth raged.

Brennan blinked, her face the color of ash. "I don't…I don't know."

Cam commandeered control. "Angela? What did you find?"

"Once I had the names of the flowers, I was able to find the five different meanings like the note said." Angela said.

"Let's hear it." Booth began to pace back and forth at the head of the table, unable to stand still.

"Okay, um…" Angela looked from Booth to Brennan before focusing on the paper in her hand. Drawing a shaky breath, she began. "Well, camellias mean romantic longing and…and daisies indicate loyal love."

Booth shoved his clenched fists in his pockets and continued to pace.

Brennan glanced at Booth and then nodded at her friend. "Please go on, Angela."

Angela looked at Booth before looking back down at her information. "Daffodils represent unrequited love. Primroses…" Her voice was strangled. "Primroses mean 'I can't live without you.'"

"That's four," said Sweets. "What about Azaleas?"

"Azaleas…" Her voice cracked as she tried again. "Azaleas…" She covered her mouth with her hand and pushed the paper towards Hodgins.

"Azaleas mean Temperance," Hodgins supplied, rubbing his wife's arm in comfort.

"Oh my God." Cam muttered under her breath, her body language mirroring Angela's.

"Okay, so that's just great. Sweets, tell me what the hell it all means," Booth barked.

"Well, clearly what we now know is that he's infatuated with Dr. Brennan in a romantic way. I don't think he wishes to hurt her. On the contrary, I think he's convinced himself that he wants to build a life with her."

"Why would he think that's even a possibility? I have a life. A good one. I don't know him. I don't understand…" Brennan trailed off.

"He's obviously delusional. He clearly feels that he knows you and probably feels that if he could just get a chance, could just talk with you, you'd feel the same way he does."

Booth looked at Sweets. "How do we play this?"

"My suggestion? Draw him out. Put Dr. Brennan somewhere where he could have easy access…another book signing or meet and greet."

"Not happening. Forget it."

'No, hear me out." The young psychologist was not easily intimidated. "The only time, the _only_ time he's dared come anywhere near Dr. Brennan, dared risk getting seen, was at the book signing. He used the anonymity of the crowd to get close. She may have even signed his book. If we can fill the store with agents, basically set up a sting, maybe we can catch him. I'm certain he'll show up."

"I'll do it." Brennan said.

"No!" Booth whirled around, facing her. "No," he stated again, more quietly but no less emphatically. "There has to be another way… There's still the florist and Angela was running something down for me." He shook his head. "There are other ways to get this guy."

"And if you find him?" Brennan stood, her words challenging him. "Then what, Booth? You'll arrest him for sending me flowers?"

"There are stalking laws, Bones. We can get him without putting you in more danger than you already are." Booth told her.

"We can't even prove it's one person behind all of this. I have a lot of fans."

"She's right," Cam said interrupting the argument. "Even if we could draw him out and ID him, there's not enough to prosecute."

"It doesn't matter, all right?" Booth turned to Cam. "Bones is not going to be a crazy person's bait. We'll find another way and when we do? I'll nail his ass to the wall."

"We have no real leads, no solid evidence. We don't even have anything to track him with." Sweets pointed out.

"We'll figure it out. We will find a way to end this." Booth said, leaving no room for argument.

"Booth, maybe you should send her out of town for a while." Hodgins repeated his suggestion to Brennan from earlier that morning.

"No." Brennan was emphatic. "Hodgins, I told you this morning, I'm not going to run. I won't let him win."

"The only thing he wants to win is you, Dr. Brennan. He's only going to get more invasive, more persistent." Sweets asserted.

"Angela, did you find anything for me at after we talked this morning?" Booth asked.

"Not much. In order to keep government agencies from monitoring what people are reading, libraries don't typically keep circulation records."

"Government agencies like us," muttered Booth.

"Yeah, but I was able to find current check outs as well as past dues and fines. Twenty-four people in the Dallas area either have one of Brennan's books checked out, or owe fines because they kept one of her books past its due date."

"Any of them have a record?

"Four, but not for anything major. Unpaid parking tickets, drunk driving, misdemeanor theft and one guy was caught smoking weed. Not exactly crazy person behavior."

Sweets shook his head. "It won't be any of those guys."

"How do you know?" Brennan asked.

"This guy is neat. Orderly. Fanatically so. None of those charges are from the behavior of a person as fastidious as this guy."

"Okay, so basically we have an orderly, obsessive person who is in love with Bones and isn't going to quit until I stop him."

"Until _we_ stop him, yeah." Sweets confirmed.

"Okay. Then let's get to work. Angela, get me that list, I'll get someone in the Dallas field office to start running down the names on it."

"Right."

"Okay." Cam stood. "Everybody, back to work, but keep your eyes wide open."

Everyone dispersed, leaving Booth and Brennan alone.

"I'm going get him, Bones. Like Sweets said, he'll make a mistake and when he does? I'll be there."

She nodded, wordlessly, sinking into a chair.

"Until then, I'm increasing security. There's going to be a team at the house or on your tail round the clock. You're safe here in the lab, but everywhere else, I feel like we should be extra careful."

"Okay." Her agreement only made him more aware of how terrified she was despite her earlier willingness to act as bait.

He sat down next to her and took her hand. "I am not going to let this guy hurt you."

"I know. It's just…"

"It's just what?"

"It's just he's found a way around all of our precautions so far. What's next?"

The truth was that Booth didn't want to think about what could come next, so he answered the only way he could.

With a promise.

"I am going to stop this."

He just hoped to God it was a promise he could keep.


	11. Chapter 11

The florist hadn't been much help. The agents who spoke with her reported to Booth that the florist, who was fittingly named Rose, had received a call the evening before requesting a bouquet be delivered to the Jeffersonian first thing in the morning.

Rose had told the agents that the person who ordered the flowers was a man with a southern accent and that the only reason she remembered him at all was because of his selection of flowers. The man had been very specific about the flowers he wanted although she thought they made an odd looking bouquet and had tried to suggest alternatives, he had been insistent about the flowers he wanted. He had dictated the note, asked her to read it back, and he had paid with a credit card.

Booth had run down the credit card and hit another dead end; the card had turned out to be another preloaded card, purchased with cash in the DC area a week prior.

All that was left was Angela's long-shot list of library patrons which hadn't yielded much yet, either. No one had much hope it ever would.

At the end of the day, Booth insisted that the three of them ride home together, and that was fine with Brennan. Angela offered to drive Brennan's car out to their house and Hodgins would follow right behind to take Angela back home.

So they went, Booth and Brennan up front, followed by the FBI agents, with Angela behind them and Hodgins right behind her. It was like some kind of bizarre, un-fun parade, four cars long, with purposeful distances between them and no room for any other vehicles. The lunacy of it nearly made Brennan laugh.

She was tired. Ever since Booth had pointed out just how close this note writer had been to their children, she'd had a hard time sleeping. Rationally, Brennan understood that she was the target of this fan's obsessions, but her dreams were fraught with images of a faceless man dashing down the street with Hadley tucked under his arm like a football as she ran helplessly after him, unable to catch up. Every time she had the dream she would wake up in a cold sweat, unable to push away the images until she got up to check that Hadley was safe in her crib.

Motherhood was challenging in ways she had never even considered.

When they all pulled up to the house, the agents got out of their vehicle first and swept the yard and the house for anything unusual. It unnerved her, seeing their home treated as a potential crime scene. She watched as the agents first checked the perimeter of the house, then made their way inside. The blinds and curtains shifted as the agents checked the windows for entry and she wondered briefly what the neighbors must think; then realized she just didn't care.

She felt, rather than saw, Booth slide his hand over hers. "It's just precautionary, Bones. There's been no indication he knows where we live."

"I know."

"I just want to be sure."

"I know." She repeated, as Hadley let out an ear shattering shriek. Brennan turned around in her seat to see that the beloved cow had been tossed to the floor and was under the back seat. Sighing, she unbuckled her seatbelt and moved to get out of the car.

"Wait." Booth cautioned her, squeezing her hand a little.

"Booth, we're across the street. It's fine."

"I'd rather you wait."

"It's _fine_." She huffed and shook loose from his touch, climbing out of the car. She knew she was overreacting, but she needed some control and she'd be damned if she were going to let her child scream because some lunatic might be in her house across the street.

She yanked open Hadley's door as Booth exited his side of the Sequoia and came to stand behind her. She could feel his posture relax a bit as she fished Hadley's cow from under the seat and she knew without even having to look that the agents had given the all clear.

"You're all set Agent Booth. We'll be right out front here, if you need us." Agent Jenowski spoke to Booth as Brennan unbuckled Hadley and pulled her out of the seat.

"Thanks." Booth answered, simultaneously waving Angela forward to indicate she could put the car in the garage.

Hodgins pulled up beside them as Angela maneuvered the car up the driveway. "The offer still stands. Aruba is nice this time of year."

Brennan could see that Booth was tempted and, though the idea of escape sounded enticing, it would do nothing to stop the stalker. "Thank you, but no. We simply have to catch him," she said with more confidence than she felt.

Hodgins nodded. "If you change your mind, I can have the Cantilever jet fueled and ready inside of two hours. Just call me."

"Thanks, Hodgins." Booth nodded towards the bug man.

"Any time, man."

"Okay, here are your keys." Angela joined them.

"Thank you, Angela. I know this was out of your way," Brennan said.

"It's not a problem."

"Do you want to stay for dinner?" Booth offered and it was all Brennan could do not to close her eyes against the insufferable idea of needing to entertain anyone on this evening in particular.

"No," Angela said, glancing into their backseat. "The daycare said Michael didn't nap well today, so we're going to head home for an early bedtime." She looked west, where the sun was already starting to graze the peaks of the distant rooftops on its way down. "When all this is over, we'll get a sitter and go out and celebrate, okay?"

Brennan nodded. "That sounds good."

"Come on, Angie. Let's let them get inside. It's been a long day."

"Okay." Angela got into the car and leaned across Hodgins to address them. "We'll see you tomorrow. Maybe a new day will bring some new ideas." She gave a little wave as Hodgins pulled away from the curb.

They watched Hodgins and Angela drive off, then Brennan took the baby in the house while Booth went to pull the SUV into the garage.

The minute she was inside, the exhaustion became crippling. Kicking off her shoes, she dropped her bag by the front door, and moved into the living room. She removed Hadley's jacket, laid out a blanket and set the baby on it to play, then dropped her own jacket on the couch and stretched out on the floor next to her daughter.

A minute later, Booth joined them, dropping into his favorite chair.

"How's take-out sound?" He asked. "Pizza, maybe?"

"How about Thai? I don't really feel like pizza."

"I can go with that. I'm way too beat to cook." He pulled off is tie and tossed it aside. "Remind me to tell Laurence and Jenowski we're expecting a delivery guy."

"Okay." She rolled a ball towards Hadley, who let out a big yawn. "She's tired, too. I'll feed her and get her in the tub." She got to her feet, only to find herself being pulled into her partner's lap.

"Hey." He greeted softly, burying his face at her shoulder.

Her arms flew around his neck and she moulded against him, marveling at how he knew just what she needed. "Hey, yourself." She closed her eyes and breathed in deep. Somehow, he always managed to make her feel safe.

They sat for a while, taking quiet comfort in one another until Hadley decided she did not care for her parents' exclusion of her and told them so with a squawk of baby disapproval.

"That was for you," Booth said, chuckling.

"No, it was for you. She doesn't like sharing you with me." Brennan smiled, disentangling herself from Booth.

He got up too and scooped up their daughter. "Come on, Jealous Girl. Let's give Mommy a break." He kissed Hadley's cheek. "I'll feed her and call in our order. You go change and relax a while."

Gratefully she retrieved his tie and her shoes and took them upstairs, deciding a nice hot shower would be good for the tension in her body.

She stayed under the hot spray of water for longer than she intended, but when she finally did emerge, her neck and shoulders felt a little looser and she felt a little better overall.

She could hear Booth and Hadley in the nursery over the baby monitor on her nightstand and she smiled as she heard Booth bargaining with the infant.

"If you just let us sleep all night tonight," he said in a sing song voice, "I will sing two rounds of _Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star_ tomorrow night."

She laughed and slipped on yoga pants and a tank top before joining them in Hadley's room.

"You gave her a bath?" she asked, surprised to see the baby in her pajamas already.

"Yep. We're fast."

"I guess you are."

The doorbell rang.

"That's dinner."

"I'll get it." She kissed her baby. "Goodnight, Hadley. Sleep well."

She hurried down the stairs so the delivery guy wouldn't have to wait too long. She grabbed her wallet from her bag, checked the peephole and opened the door.

"Joey's Pizza." The kid thrust a pizza box forward and grinned.

"Oh. Great." She fumbled with her wallet in surprise. She had been expecting Thai food. "Um, how much is it?"

"Already paid for, ma'am." He held out a plastic bag. "Here's your cheese and plates and stuff."

She took the bag, setting it down by the doorframe, then handed him a five dollar tip in exchange for the pizza. "Thank you."

"Thank you, ma'am. Have a nice night." The kid turned and scurried back to his car, which was still running as the light on top blinked the name of the pizza place.

"You got pizza?" She hollered up the stairs as she closed the door, annoyed enough to forget that Booth was putting the baby in bed.

"What?" Booth appeared at the top of the steps, his volume more appropriate for a resting baby.

"I said I didn't want pizza, Booth. I wanted Thai."

"I ordered Thai."

"Then what is this?" She held the box up and shook it, not caring about the pie inside. "I explicitly said I was not in the mood for pizza. I really-"

"Put it down, Bones." He commanded, cutting her off.

The tone in his voice sent a chill racing down her spine and she felt like her heart stopped. Slowly, she set the pizza down on the entry table.

Booth was next to her in an instant, examining the box. "Is there just the box?" He asked.

She swallowed hard. "There's a plastic bag with cheese and plates. I set it down over there." She pointed next to the front door.

Booth crossed to the door and picked up the bag, peering inside. Seeing a slip of paper sticking out from in between the packets of peppers and parmesan, he gingerly reached in and pulled it out by a corner.

"Booth?"

His jaw was set in fury and she could see red rage coloring his neck and cheeks.

She willed her feet to walk to him and forced herself to look at the paper in his hand.

"_The two of us will share dinner soon. Until then, enjoy, Sweet Temperance."_


	12. Chapter 12

_Happy Birthday to the amazing Amilyn. As a gift, go read her stuff. Believe me, you are the one who will be getting a present._

* * *

><p>Booth shoved the note at Brennan and stormed outside, letting the screen door slam behind him. She started after him, ran back to the living room to grab the baby monitor, then tore out the door and down the front steps.<p>

She was half way across the yard when Booth yanked open the driver's side door of the agents car and bellowed, "Get your asses out of that car, now!"

The two agents looked at Booth, eyes wide, and scrambled to follow the order.

She came to a stop behind him. "Booth-"

He held up his hand. "Not now, Bones."

Booth looked from one agent to the other as they stood side by side. "Did you two clowns see the pizza guy?"

The agents looked at one another. "Yeah," Jenowski answered for both of them.

Booth cocked his head to the side and took a step closer, crowding Jenowski. "Yeah?"

Jenowski cleared his throat and stood up a little straighter. "Yes, sir."

Booth leaned into the agent's space a little more. "What the hell did I tell you not forty five minutes ago, Agent Jenowski?"

"You said you were getting food delivered for dinner."

Booth's eyes narrowed and he leaned a little closer.

Janowski swallowed hard. "Sir."

"No. I didn't." Booth looked from Jenowski to Laurence and back again. "What I _said_ was that I was having _Thai food_ delivered for dinner."

Jenowski glanced at Laurence. "We figured you changed your mind." Jenowski shrugged.

"You _"figured?"_ Booth's voice was low; low in a way that Brennan knew meant he was beyond furious. She couldn't recall ever seeing this kind of seething anger in her partner.

The younger agents looked at each other nervously, but did not respond.

"This is my home. This is my _life._ This is my _family_. You don't get to _fucking figure_."

"Booth." She tried to caution him, putting one hand on his arm, but he pulled away from her touch.

"This pizza guy? He brought another note. And if you'd done your job, you would have stopped to realize I didn't order a pizza." Booth was so close to Jenowski, his face so twisted with rage, that Brennan actually feared a little for the younger agent.

"Booth." She tried again, tugging on his arm. "It was a mistake."

"No, Bones. It was not a mistake. It was lazy. Sloppy. Negligent. But it was not a mistake." His eyes never left Jenowski's and the air was electric with tension. "Did you even talk to the kid? Pat him down? Search his bag?"

Brennan tightened her hand on Booth's arm as he glared at the young agent, his nostrils flaring with every breath. "Booth." She could feel the muscles of his forearm contracting as he clenched his fist and she wanted to reign him in before he did something he would regret.

"Agent Booth. Sir, what would you like us to do, now?" Laurence spoke for the first time, and Booth's attention snapped to him.

"What?" Booth barked.

"Tell us how you would like to proceed, Sir. There are clearly things that need to be done now. Tell us what you'd like us to do."

Booth cocked his head to the side and stared at Laurence. "Do? What I want you to do, Laurence, is get your incompetent asses back in that car and do your fucking jobs. I'll be calling in a new team to relieve you."

With that, Booth spun on his heel, wrapped his arm around Brennan's back and pulled her with him back towards the house. They ascended the steps and he yanked the door open, ushering her inside before he slammed the door shut, shaking the house.

"Booth."

He pushed past her and went into the living room where he picked his cell phone up from the end table where he'd dropped it when he got home, punched a button and raised it to his ear.

"It's Booth. She got another note. This time here at home with a pizza. Son of a bitch has our address." He was quiet for a moment, listening to his superior. "What I want is the two idiot agents in front of my house replaced because they can't be bothered to do their job. I want a team dispatched to the pizza place to find out who ordered this pizza and how. I want tech guys to sweep the house for bugs. If he can find our house, he can get our number so I want a trace on the line, too. I want agents on this, as many as you can give me. Now."

Weak kneed, Brennan sat down on the couch, baby monitor clenched in her hands, and listened, feeling helpless, violated and a number of other things she couldn't quite name. Booth's voice seemed far away as he spoke with Hacker and she was only barely aware when he hung up with his boss, punched a button on his phone, and began to update Sweets.

She didn't know what to do. She had no expertise to offer. There were no x-rays to study, no bones to examine. "No bones, no Bones," she'd once told him.

Oh, how she wished she could walk away so easily now.

* * *

><p>Although it seemed like hours later, within a relatively short time, the Brennan-Booth home was filled with FBI agents. Two new agents had been assigned to the security detail, and Jenowski and Laurence were being debriefed by a senior agent in the family room. Tech guys were wandering in and out, and in the middle of it all stood Booth, Charlie, Sweets and Hacker discussing options, choices, and next moves.<p>

The person who was actually at the metaphoric center of it all, of course, in the most crucial way, was Brennan, who sat off to the side and watched the controlled chaos take over her home. Any other day, any other case, and this kind of upheaval would send her running to Bone Storage, seeking order and peace.

That wasn't going to happen, this time.

The techs who swept the house for bugs came up empty, which was a relief and a disappointment. It was a relief because the note writer hadn't actually been in their home yet disappointing because it didn't give them anything new to go on. It seemed the pizza had simply been a means to deliver a note, a coincidence, and nothing more.

Hacker had sent Charlie and Sweets to the pizza place, and they returned with a few leads to chase down. The order had been phoned in and paid for with a pre-loaded credit card. The employee was told the pizza was a surprise for a friend and she wrote the message down as dictated on the back of the receipt. The caller hadn't given a name, but the clerk did recall he sounded like he might be from the south, and that he was very polite, but hadn't made any small talk.

Charlie made a few calls, one to the credit card company and then one to the store where it had been purchased just the day before. An agent was dispatched to collect security camera footage from the store in hopes they could see transaction and ID the note writer. Angela had been called and was on her way to the Jeffersonian, prepared to review the footage, ready to enhance anything she could pull from the video.

The video was more than they'd had before and yet Brennan still felt an overwhelming loss of control.

Her home had been invaded in more ways than one. She was trapped in her own life by a man who seemed to want to take her out of that life and put her in his. Running was not an option. He would find them. Or he would wait them out and start again when they returned. She'd heard Sweets say so and, though she had no evidence, she believed he was right.

It was him versus them and he was winning.

It became too much to sit there; too much to listen to Booth and the others plan her life, to hear them trying to save her.

She didn't want to have to be saved. She just wanted it all to be over.

* * *

><p>Booth had been watching her all along and he knew she was overwhelmed. While others might have thought she was simply disinterested in the investigations and plans going on around her, he knew she was attempting to process it all.<p>

Considering the difficulty he was having with keeping his own head above water, he could only imagine her struggle.

When the Thai food was delivered, he watched her set it out for the agents. He noticed that she didn't eat any.

He watched as she made attempts at normalcy: She packed the diaper bag for the next day, she made herself a lunch to take to the lab.

He watched as she listened to Sweets suggest, yet again, that they draw the stalker out. He watched her as he told Sweets in no uncertain terms, that it was never going to happen, the very idea making him sick. He watched as she seemed not to be to be listening to them at all.

He watched her eyes as they stormed, their clarity warring with the thoughts in her head.

He watched as she stood, walked to the stairs and slowly went up.

He noticed that she did not come back down.

He figured it was time to regroup for them both.

* * *

><p>It took longer than Booth had wanted, but almost an hour later, the house was clear of all agents except him and the new team out front.<p>

He went around the downstairs level of the house and locked it down for the night. He checked and double checked all the doors and windows and though he knew any intruder worth his salt could get past it, he set the alarm and then made his way upstairs.

He checked hall windows and bathroom windows and Parker's window. He double checked their bedroom windows and the French doors out to their balcony.

He brushed his teeth and put on his pajama pants and a gray t-shirt before he went to find her in the one room he hadn't been in yet.

Peeking into the nursery, he saw a wide awake baby being held by her exhausted mother.

"Hey," he whispered, pushing the door open a bit further and going inside.

"Hey." She kept her voice equally soft.

"Everyone's gone." He sat down on the window seat across from the rocking chair where they say. "Are her teeth bothering her?"

"No. I couldn't sleep. I'm the one who woke her."

He lifted his eyebrows but didn't say anything.

"I didn't intend to, but…" her chin quivered. "I just needed to hold her."

He nodded, but remained quiet.

"Is that strange?"

"Not even a little bit."

"It makes no sense. There is nothing she can do. She can't talk to offer solace or solutions but still, I find that holding her makes me feel better."

"It makes perfect sense, Bones.'

"I just needed to hold her." She repeated softly, kissing the baby's soft wisps of hair.

He left the window seat then to crouch down in front of her, looking up into her eyes "I know you're scared. I get it. I'm scared, too."

"Who is he, Booth?" Her voice trembled and her eyes glistened.

"I don't know. I keep turning it all over and over in my head, you know? Have I seen anyone suspicious? Have I…have I missed something somewhere?" He kept his tone hushed. "I know you were okay with Sweets' idea of drawing him out, but I can't…I can't risk it. I can't risk _you_, like that."

Sleepy-eyed Hadley sighed and nestled into her mother, almost as if in agreement with her father.

"But if we can end this, on our terms, shouldn't we?"

"With you as bait?" He shook his head. "No. It's not safe."

"It's from_'The Art of War,'_ Booth. _'Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him.'_ We can crush him." Her voice was soft and even as she patted Hadley's back.

"I've read the _'The Art of War,'_ Bones. I know what it says." He kept his voice low as well, tamping down his desire to bicker with her.

"Then you know I'm right."

"You'd be a sitting duck."

"No more than I am right now. And you'd be there. Other agents would be there, too. It's certainly a lot safer than waiting to see what he does next. This would be on our terms. We would have the control."

"I don't like it."

"You don't have to like it, but I need this to be over. We need to stop this."

Booth looked away, his eyes coming to rest on his favorite picture of he, Brennan, Parker and Hadley. And as much as he didn't want to agree, he knew she was right. They had to take control and put an end to it all.

He looked back at her, meeting her eyes. "I'll talk to Sweets tomorrow. See what he thinks the best plan would be."

She let out a soft sigh of relief. "Thank you."

He stood, kissed the top of Hadley's head and then Brennan's forehead. "Come to bed."

She nodded and stood slowly, careful not to disturb their now sleeping daughter. She laid Hadley in the crib and the baby immediately rolled over with a sigh, getting comfortable on her belly.

"Goodnight, Sweet Girl." Brennan kissed her own two fingers and then pressed them to her daughter's downy cheek. "Rest well."

Booth took Brennan's hand and led her to their room. He turned down the bedding and they both climbed in. She scooted to his side of the bed, and he instantly drew her to him, enveloping her in his arms, both finding and giving the comfort they each desperately needed.

He knew it would be a long night.


	13. Chapter 13

Wednesday did not start any better than Tuesday had ended. Sleep had been difficult to come by and when they had managed to drift into slumber, Brennan had nightmares and Booth tossed and turned. Around three he got up to recheck all the doors and windows while she was up at four with a shrieking, teething Hadley. Neither of them had managed to sleep much at all after that.

Bleary eyed, with a cranky Hadley in tow, they arrived at Rebecca's at 6:45 to take Parker to breakfast.

Parker, however, had had no trouble sleeping and energetically bounded out of the house and down the front steps to the car before Booth and Brennan even managed to get out.

"Parker! Your backpack!" Rebecca came out right behind him, her words stopping him before he managed to climb into into his seat.

"Oh, right! Hi Dad! Hi Bones!" He leaned across the seat and tickled Hadley's foot. "Hi Hads! Be right back!" He climbed back out and rushed back past his mother and into the house.

Brennan lowered her window as Rebecca came to the car. "Good morning, Rebecca."

"Good morning. Thank you, both, for taking him today. I really appreciate it."

"Anytime, you know that." Booth always took any extra time he could get with his son.

"So, you'll pick him up when school's out at three o'clock, right? He doesn't have a yearbook meeting today."

"Yep. I'll take him back to the lab to hang out with Bones until dinner, then we'll feed him and drop him off around eight."

"That sounds perfect."

Parker crashed through the front door of the house again and practically dove into his seat. "Where are we going? I'm starving."

"He's burning every last calorie with this pedometer project. He's eating me out of house and home." Rebecca smiled. Looking past Brennan into the back seat she said "I packed you an extra big lunch, Parks and there are pretzels in your bag for right after school."

"Okay."

"He'll probably still need something to eat when you guys get back to the lab. This one snack right after school doesn't seem to hold him until dinner."

"I have some snacks in my office, but if he finds those unsatisfactory, the Jeffersonian has an excellent cafeteria," offered Brennan.

"Perfect. Thanks." Rebecca nodded and then turned her attention to Parker. "Don't forget to do your homework while you're at Dr. Brennan's lab."

"I won't."

"And make sure you turn in that permission slip to Ms. Tadros."

"I will."

"Okay, Buddy. Have a good day. I love you."

"Love you, too, Mom."

Booth waited for Rebecca to step back, and returned her wave before checking his mirrors and pulling the SUV back onto the road

"Can I have a milkshake?"

"With breakfast?" Booth raised his eyebrows at his son in the rearview mirror. "No. You can have pancakes, though."

"With the amount of syrup and butter the two of you put on your pancakes, he may as well have a milkshake." Brennan said.

"YES!" Parker pumped his arm in victory.

Booth glanced at Brennan, glad for a moment of levity. "Whose side are you on?"

"I'm not on anyone's side. I'm merely stating a fact. At least a milkshake has calcium."

"Milkshakes are not for breakfast."

"I don't see why not. What's your argument? Sugar? Because syrup-"

"Fine. Fine. Fine." Booth was too tired to bicker, not to mention he could see her point. "Parker, you can have a milkshake." Parker whooped with glee. "BUT, you also have to have oatmeal or a fruit bowl. Something nutritious."

Parker seemed to consider this and decided to strike a different compromise. "What about a smoothie?"

"An excellent choice," Brennan said, looking back at Parker before turning back to Booth with a satisfied grin.

It was suddenly very clear to Booth that both he and Parker had just been played.

* * *

><p>An hour later they had deposited Parker at school and were on their way to the lab when Booth's phone rang.<p>

"Booth." He clicked the hands free feature on his phone.

"Hey, Booth. You still with Parker?" It was clear from Angela's tone that she had something to say that might not be for appropriate for his son to hear.

"No, we just dropped him off."

"Okay, well, I think I have something for you."

Booth watched Brennan frown. "Ange, it's nearly eight in the morning. Have you been there all night?"

"Yeah, well, as it turns out, some lunatic is threatening my best friend, so I wouldn't have slept much anyway."

"What've you got, Angela?" Booth asked. He could feel the buzz of anticipation racing through his body.

"Okay, well, the credit card company told us which store the note writer bought the card at, right? But they also were able to tell us what time the card was activated. As soon as it scans at the register, it's activated."

"How does that help us?" Brennan wanted to know.

"Because it gave me a very specific amount of cash register security footage I had to look at."

"You got a picture?" Booth tightened his fingers around the steering wheel. He could feel them starting to itch with the urge to act.

"Yeah. It's not much. Just his back, but from that we can estimate height and weight. Even better, it allows me to go through the footage from the rest of the store looking for someone specific, which is what I've been doing since about four this morning."

"Nice work, Angela." Brennan complimented.

"Thanks. And guys?"

"Yeah?" they said in unison.

"Bring me coffee. A big one. With extra caffeine."

"You got it, Angela." Booth grinned, disconnected the call and turned to his partner. "This is it, Bones. This is his first mistake. This is the beginning of the end of all of this. I can feel it."

She nodded. "I hope you're right."

* * *

><p>They found Angela in front of the big screen in her office, controller in hand.<p>

"Hi Ange," Brennan said, holding a large to-go cup out to her friend. "Here's your coffee."

"Hey! Oh, thank you." She said, accepting the cup and taking a long pull before turning back to the computer. "Here's what I have so far." She pulled up another screen. "There's your guy."

Brennan felt her stomach flip as she stepped closer to the screen. "That's him?"

"Yeah. Judging by the height of the register's conveyer belt, he's probably about six feet and I'd say around two hundred fifty pounds. Sorry. I know it isn't much. I'm hoping to see him on another camera's footage. Maybe I'll get a shot of his face. When I'm done with store footage, I'll check the parking lot camera tapes."

Brennan took in the grainy image on the screen. He was, at least from the back, non-descript. Caucasian, dark hair, jeans and a hooded sweatshirt. He was nothing special, and while logically she had known he wouldn't stand out in anyway, she was still surprised by how ordinary he really was.

"This is great Angela. Can I get a copy?" Booth asked.

"I already sent you one. Check your inbox."

"Will do and let me know what else you find. I'll be here all day."

"What?" This was the first Brennan was hearing of his plans for the workday. "Booth, that's absurd. The lab is very secure. I'll be down in Bone Storage anyway. There is nothing for you to do here."

"Well it just makes sense, Bones. I'm only doing paperwork, I have some things you need to sign off on, then I have to get Parker and bring him back here, anyway." He shrugged. "Might as well be here all day."

"You are creating excuses to remain nearby." She argued.

"Nah. I'm just, ya know, sticking around for when Angela finds what we need."

"Well, _Angela_," said the artist, slowly slinking out of the room, "is going to go say hi to her son at the daycare. You two feel free to use my office to bicker this out."

Neither one of them heard her.

"Booth, you don't need to hover. We shouldn't give up every sense of normalcy just because a crazy man is sending me notes and pizza."

"And flowers. You forgot the flowers."

"And flowers." She huffed.

"Bones, I'm not leaving and I'm not going to fight about it."

"There is nothing to fight about. I don't need you to be here. I'm perfectly safe in the lab."

"_I_ need to be here, okay? For me. I need to be here."

"Booth…" she began, but found herself unable to argue with him. "Okay." She capitulated. "Okay. You can stay here. But I'm going to be in Bone Storage. You won't see me."

"That's fine, Bones. You do what you need to do. Just pretend I'm not even here."

* * *

><p>She did spend most of the day in Bone Storage and true to his word, Booth stayed out of her way. She emerged for lunch and he wisely did not point out that 2:20 in the afternoon was actually well past lunch time.<p>

"What time do you have to go get Parker?" she asked, bringing her lunch to her desk and opening her laptop to work as she ate.

"In about ten minutes."

She nodded absently, reading her emails. "Okay."

"Are you coming with me?"

"No. I have work to do." She softened at his doubtful expression. "I'll be fine. Plus, if I can finish the last few things I need to do, I'll have more time to spend with Parker in Bone Storage. He likes it in there."

"My kid the squint." Booth rolled his eyes, though secretly he thought it was great that Brennan loved to share her science with Parker and that Parker truly loved hearing about it.

"He's very bright. He'll make an excellent scientist someday." She put down her fork. "Did you talk with Sweets?"

"Yeah. He thinks setting up another book signing would be the best way."

"Will we even know if he's there? If Angela doesn't find anything—"

"Knock, knock!" said Angela, tapping on the door. "Did I hear my name?"

"We were just talking about how to ID the note writer if we set him up." Booth answered.

"Well, I might have something that can help with that a little."

"Yeah?"

"Come take a look." She motioned for Booth to follow her and headed back to her office.

They were halfway to Angela's office when Brennan called them back.

"Booth!" Her voice, laden with panic, caused the agent and the artist both to break into a run.

"What's wrong?" He looked around wildly, searching for the source of her panic.

She pointed at the screen. "Email." Her voice had dropped now, and it filled him with dread.

He approached her desk and looked over her shoulder at the screen.

"_I think 3 o'clock is an excellent time for a snack. I'll be sure to keep to the schedule."_

"What does that mean?" Brennan couldn't take her eyes off the cryptic message.

"Oh my God." Angela's hand flew to her mouth in horror. "The daycare serves snack at three. It's part of their schedule. It's posted right on the wall."

Booth was already out of the office, running towards the daycare faster than he'd ever run in his life. His heart was pounding in pure fear and the only words he could hear in his head were "God, please, no. Please, let her be safely in the daycare."

Brennan was hot on heels, panic and terror driving her as she raced to keep up with Booth. He reached the daycare door several strides ahead of her and she clenched her fists as he punched in the security code on the keypad. The time between him hitting the last button and the panel lighting up green seemed an eternity and finally Booth threw the door open and rushed through it.

"Where's Hadley?" he demanded, without preface.

"Agent Booth! Is…is something wrong?" The daycare teacher was clearly taken aback.

"Where's my daughter?" He was equal parts demanding and begging.

"She's in her bed, napping."

Needing to see for himself, he sprinted across the room to a row of cribs.

"Oh, God." It came out of his mouth in a choke, a near sob.

"Booth?" Brennan asked shakily as she crossed the room to where he stood, looking down into a crib.

Booth reached into the bed and pulled out his sleeping daughter, clutching her to his chest as she woke. "She's okay. She's right here. She's right here. She's okay." He buried his face in Hadley's hair, quaking from adrenaline and thankfulness.

Brennan placed a trembling hand on their daughter's back and leaned into her partner in relief.

But that relief was fleeting as her mind hit upon something else.

"…_school's out at three o'clock…"_

"…_there are pretzels in your bag for right after school."_

"_This one snack right after school doesn't seem to hold him until dinner."_

"Booth…" She started.

"She's okay, Bones. She's fine." He kissed his daughter's soft curls.

"It was never Hadley." She said in a pained, strangled whisper.

"What?" Booth face was unreadable, too many emotions hitting all at once.

"It…it was never Hadley. It's Parker." Her voice cracked. "He's after Parker."


	14. Chapter 14

Booth laid his palm on the horn relentlessly, navigating traffic with the other hand guiding the the wheel. Sirens blaring, with little regard for traffic, he pushed the gas pedal all the way down and drove like a madman to Parker's school.

Brennan held on to the dash with one hand, the other hand holding her phone to her ear.

"Yes, I understand that school has let out for the day," she repeated for the third time. "But I need to locate Parker Booth. It's imperative that someone find him and bring him inside where he will be safe."

Booth yanked the steering wheel to the left, narrowly missing taking out a city bus as it pulled out in front of him.

"No," Brennan explained to the person on the phone. "You don't understand. There's been a direct threat against his safety and I-" She was cut off by the person on the other end. "Who am I? I'm Dr. Temperance Brennan. I'm on his emergency card. Please, I'm calling on behalf of his father." She paused again. "No, he can't talk to you right now, he's driving. You need to find…" The person on the other end cut her off again. "Yes. Yes! I'm Parker's step mother." She thought nothing of the lie. All she could think of was Parker. "I need someone to go outside and find him. His father and I will be there shortly."

Booth swerved around a garbage truck.

"Thank you. Please, just make sure you stay with him and call me when you find him." She couldn't say "if." It had to be "when."

"They're looking for him." She told Booth as he focused on the road. He didn't answer, but she could feel the tension rolling off of him. He gripped the wheel so tightly his knuckles were white and his jaw was so tense the muscles in his neck were vibrating. Her own heart was racing and she imagined his heart was thudding twice as fast.

Five minutes later and a quarter mile from the school, traffic came to a standstill. Long lines of minivans and SUV's edged both sides of the street, and the ones that were still in the street trying to get into the main driveway of the school were stuck, waiting for space to open up. To make matters worse, people trying to get out of the way for the siren only managed to block the way more than it was before.

With a frustrated "Damn it!" Booth threw the SUV into park in the middle of the street and got out, running. "Parker!" He ran onto school grounds. "Parker!"

Booth was frantic. He scanned the sea of cars, kids, moms and dads eyes darting from left to right as he tried to remember what color shirt Parker had been wearing that morning and what his backpack looked like.

He saw a mop of dark blonde curls among the crowd and relief surged through him.

It was a fleeting feeling. When the child turned, Booth saw the distinct features of someone else's son.

He ran from one small group of kids to the next, asking them if they'd seen Parker. Friends, teammates, neighbors, people he knew from Parker's life and even those he did not. "Have you seen Parker?"

The answer was always no.

Before long, he was out of people to ask. Kids were picked up, Moms and Dads drove on and the number of kids dwindled.

No Parker.

Booth encountered a teacher and an administrator who were also searching for Parker with no results. When he caught sight of Brennan across the grass, looking no less panicked than he felt, he knew Parker was not outside the school.

So he went into the building, calling for his son, checking classrooms and bathrooms and hallways.

No Parker.

He went into the cafeteria and into the library. He checked the baseball field and the track and under the bleachers.

Again, no Parker.

He searched the perimeter of the school, shouting his son's name, screaming it, really, and heard only his echo in return.

Still no Parker.

When he got back out to the front of the school, every last ounce of hope he had evaporated when he saw his partner standing with the school employees and two police officers, his son's backpack clutched in her hands.

And no Parker.

He grabbed the corner of the building, the bricks providing some of the strength his body was quickly losing. He knew he should move, should go over to the officers, but he couldn't. He didn't want to hear what they would say. He didn't want to give a description of his son. He didn't want to give them the picture in his wallet.

He didn't want this to be real.

There was another officer approaching the group with a large, police issued, plastic bag and Booth had to look away. He couldn't watch as his son's backpack became official evidence of what was happening; evidence like the backpacks of so many other kids who never came back to claim them.

He recognized that Brennan was crossing the grass to come over to him, but he couldn't look at her. He knew that once he met her eyes he would have to admit that this wasn't a nightmare, but rather the worst kind of reality.

"I've already called for back-up." She said softly upon reaching him. "Charlie and Hacker are on their way. So is Sweets and every agent Hacker can find." She took his hand. "We will find him, Booth." She promised. "We will."

All he could do was nod and fall into her shoulder. As she wrapped her arms around him, the truth he'd been trying to deny hit home with brutal clarity.

His son was gone.


	15. Chapter 15

Booth struggled hard to collect himself. This wasn't the side of things he was used to being on.

"Agent Booth, can you tell us what your son was wearing?"

"Agent Booth, can you give us a description of your son?"

"What color are his eyes? What color is his hair?"

"Does he have any distinguishing features? Moles? Birthmarks? Scars?"

"Does he wear glasses? Does he have braces?"

They were necessary questions, he knew, yet each one scraped away at his insides, and he felt gutted; more raw than he'd known he could be.

"Do you have a current picture of your son?"

He did. He knew he did. It was his favorite picture of Parker. Parker had taught Hadley to blow raspberries and he'd laughed hard when she'd done it on her own. The picture had been snapped, not of the baby's milestone, but of her big brother's delight in sharing that skill with her. Parker beamed in that picture.

Booth didn't want to share it. He didn't want that moment, that memory, to be stolen. He didn't want it haunting him from missing child posters. He wanted to keep it safe, out of this disaster, untainted by this nightmare.

He also knew he had no real choice and his hands shook as he reached into his pocket and took out his wallet.

"Not that one, Booth. That's…that's your picture. Keep that." Brennan stilled his hands with her own. "They can have mine." She fished her wallet out of her bag and handed the officers Parker's school picture.

He would be forever grateful to her for that. And for being the one to call Rebecca and tell her what was happening. He simply couldn't say the words out loud. Not yet.

He'd failed. He'd failed to protect his son. His focus had been on his partner and he'd failed his child.

If not for the mission of finding Parker, he was certain he would have disintegrated into a black hole of self-loathing.

But he didn't have time for that. He'd failed Parker once, he would not do it again.

* * *

><p>By the time they'd returned to the lab he'd channeled his fury with himself into fury at the note writer.<p>

"Oh, God, Booth, I'm so sorry." Angela jumped up from her desk and moved towards him.

Booth held his hands up in front of him, stopping her before she could give him the hug she clearly intended. He couldn't deal with sympathy right now. He needed to focus on the task at hand. "Just tell me you know who this bastard is."

Angela turned toward the big screen and picked up the controller. "Well, I don't have that quite yet. But I do have a partial face." She pressed the controller and looked up at the screen. "I found him on footage from the store parking lot." A picture of a man in a sweatshirt, his face obscured by sunglasses and a hood, appeared on the screen, filling it. She pulled up the picture. "That's your guy." She said softly.

Booth stared at the picture, memorizing it.

"Who is he?"

"I don't know. Most of his face is obscured and it's a profile shot. There's not enough there for me to put into the facial recognition program, so I can't pull a record."

"Can you read any of the license plates in the picture?"

"I ran all the plates in that shot and we can account for who owns them. None of them match this guy and every one of them claims not to have loaned their car out to anyone in the last few days."

"You had them checked it out already?"

"Yeah. I called in my long overdue favor with Cullen. He was glad to put someone extra on it for me."

Booths throat went dry with gratitude. "Thanks."

"We'll find him, Booth. Everyone at the FBI is ready to help and so are we. We're the best at what we do. We'll get him and bring Parker home."

"Yeah." He was hoarse and tried to clear his throat. "You should get this out to all the agents working the case."

"Already done."

He felt a feather-light touch on his arm. "Rebecca is in my office," Brennan told him.

"Okay." He swallowed and, tamping down the panic that came with having to explain what happened to Rebecca, he turned on his heel and headed for Brennan's office. He stopped outside the door and took a deep breath, steeling himself.

"Do you want me to go in with you?" Brennan asked, her eyes sincere.

"I have to do this alone. I…I screwed up. I have to own it."

"You didn't—"

"Yeah, I did, Bones. And she'll think so, too."

He could see that she disagreed and that she was searching for the words to reassure him.

He could also see the moment she realized that reassurances were nowhere to be found.

She squeezed his arm. "I'll be here if you need me."

He swallowed hard, and turned the knob to go in and face his ex.

Her terror was immediately evident. She was pacing so hard, so lost in her own thoughts, she didn't even hear him enter the room.

"Rebecca." He'd meant to sound strong as he closed the door behind him, but it didn't come out that way.

"Seeley," she looked up with wild eyes. "What the hell happened? Where is my son? Where is Parker?"

"He wasn't…he wasn't at the school at pick up."

"I don't understand. Were you late?" It was more of an accusation than a question.

"No. Remember I told you-"

"What I _remember," _her voice became loud and hysterical, her entire body shaking as tears shimmered in her eyes. _"_Is that you told me Parker wasn't in danger. What I _remember_ is that you said this psycho wouldn't come after my son. What I _remember _is that you told me the threats were against your _girlfriend,_ not our child. What I _remember_ is that you said you would tell me if it got worse. But you didn't. You didn't tell me and now Parker is gone. He's gone…he's…he's….oh, God…he's gone…" The tears took over and she buried her face in her hands, unable to do anything but sob.

He crossed the room in two steps, drawing her to him. "I know. God, Bec, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm…" He cried right along with her, losing his words, allowing himself that release for just a short while.

Separated for so long, Parker's parents were now united by one of the worst kinds of anguish.

* * *

><p>"How you holding up, Sweetie?" Angela asked as she and Brennan walked to the daycare to retrieve their children.<p>

Brennan took a deep breath. "I'm…. fine."

"Well, that makes one of us."

"What do you mean?"

Angela stopped walking and turned to face her friend "I mean…I'm not fine. And I don't really think you are, either. This is awful, Brennan. It's really just every parent's worst nightmare. I'm doing everything I can, but it's not enough, you know?"

Brennan bit her lip and nodded.

"Hodgins is just…he feels so bad. That's why he went to get food for everyone. There is no other way for him to help. There are no particulates, no bugs…"

"Yes. I feel much the same. There isn't anything I can do, either."

"Sweetie…you know that Booth doesn't need an anthropologist, right? He just needs you."

"When he stops," Her voice caught and she had to try again. "When he stops to realize that Parker missing because of me, because of who I am…"

Angela grabbed her hand. "He's not going to blame you, Brennan."

"I blame me, Ange. How could he not?"

"Because it's not your fault." Angela took Brennan by the shoulders and held her gaze. "You hear me? This is not your fault. Some kind of psycho has a thing for you but you didn't make him a psycho. You are who you are, Brennan. Millions of people have read your books and loved them. But one guy, _one guy_, a nut, has taken this to a level that is totally insane. It has nothing to do with you and everything to do with him. Please believe me when I saw say that Booth will never blame you for this. Ever. He loves you."

"Logically, I understand what you are saying, but I find that I feel guilty." She paused. "Guilty and afraid."

"That's because you love Parker, too."

Brennan nodded, a single tear escaping. "We have to find him, Ange."

"We will." whispered Angela, her own eyes welling with tears. "We will."

* * *

><p>It was well past eight at night when the entire team assembled around a conference table, picking at the food Hodgins had brought in as Booth briefed them.<p>

"Okay," Booth began, casting an eye towards Brennan's office, where Rebecca was on the phone with her sister. "Rebecca said she hasn't noticed anyone or anything suspicious over the last few days. We have one kid, Mitchell Laskey, who says he saw Parker talking to a guy who fit our suspect's description. His dad called us." He glanced at the paper in his hand. "It took the kid four hours to say anything, so I've got a team on the way over there with some pictures to see if he picks our guy out. Other than that, we haven't hit on anyone who saw anything. No stranger danger. No strange vehicles. Nothing."

"Parker knows not to just go off with someone." Brennan said. "He knows better. It had to be by force. How is it possible that no one saw anything?"

"Was there anything on the backpack?" Cam asked.

"No," Booth replied. "The techs checked it out. There are no prints besides Parker's and they didn't find anything else that might be helpful."

There was the clearing of a throat near the entry to the lounge and they all turned to see a nervous looking nighttime security guard.

"Dr. Brennan, I'm sorry to interrupt, but there is someone here to see you."

"I'm…I'm not expecting anyone." She frowned. "Who is it?"

"He claims to be a courier. Says he has an envelope for you and strict instructions to deliver it in person."

Booth was on his feet almost immediately, with Brennan right behind him, brushing past the security guard and out to the front of the lab. A man with stained, faded clothing and weathered skin stood near the front desk.

"Who are you?" Booth demanded.

"You ain't Dr. Brennan," the man sneered.

Booth surged forward, his anger no longer in check, so Brennan quickly stepped between the disheveled stranger and her partner.

"I am Dr. Brennan. You asked to speak with me?"

"I have this delivery for you."

"What is it?" She asked.

"I don't know. It's not from me." He shoved an envelope towards her. "Some dude in a white van gave it to me. Gave me fifty bucks if I'd just bring it over here. I'm a man of my word, so I did."

Brennan took the envelope gingerly by the corner as Booth grabbed the picture of their suspect off the security desk. "Is this the guy? Is this him?"

The man shrugged. "Could be."

"A white van?"

"Yeah. The kind with no windows in the back. One of those Molester Mobiles, you know?"

Brennan watched the color drain from Booth's face. "Did he have a kid with him?"

"No kid that I saw."

"What else? Was he tall? Short? Did he have any scars? What did you notice about him?"

"He wasn't from around here. Talked funny."

"You still got the fifty he gave you?"

"Nope. I stopped and got myself a reward." He held up a brown paper bag, the neck of a bottle of alcohol sticking out. Whisky, if the smell of the man was any indication.

"What exactly did he say?"

"He just asked me if I'd do him a favor and deliver this to Dr. Temperance Brennan at the Jeffersonian ASAP and that there was fifty bucks in it for me if I did. So here I am."

"Can you tell us anything else?" Brennan asked. "Anything at all?"

The man shrugged. "He wore gloves, like it was cold out. He should spend a winter homeless in DC. That'll teach him cold."

"Great. Turn around," ordered Booth.

"Why? Am I leavin'?"

"No. You're under arrest."

"For what? I just brought an envelope!"

"Well, we'll start with public intoxication and work backwards from there." Booth cuffed the man and handed him off to Charlie, who had come to see what was going on. "He's our best lead," he said quietly to Charlie. "Lose him in the system if you have to, but don't let him go."

"You got it, Boss."

"Booth?"

At the sound of his name, Booth turned towards his partner. Brennan was pale and shaking, the envelope opened and the note unfolded in her hands.

"What's it say?" Booth felt rooted to his spot, his mouth dry, his heart pounding in his ears.

She opened her mouth to speak, but stopped, shook her head and stepped towards him, turning the note around so he could see it.

"_You have until 11 tomorrow morning to make a trade. It's you for the boy, Temperance. Don't be late."_


	16. Chapter 16

"Angela!" Booth stormed back into the lounge. "I need you and Hodgins to start going through the security feed from the store parking lot again. You're looking for a white van, no back windows! I want pictures, plates, identifying marks, anything. Go!"

The artist and the entomologist scrambled from their seats. "Like a cargo van?" Angela asked.

"Yes. A cargo van. A white cargo van. "

"You got it, man." Hodgins nodded as he and Angela hurried to her office.

"What's going on?" asked Cam.

"This was just delivered." He shoved an evidence bag containing the note across the table. "The son of a bitch wants to trade; Bones for Parker."

"Trade?" Cam looked up from the note. "Are you going to do it?

"Yes, of course," said Brennan.

"Of course not." Booth answered at the same time.

Brennan looked at Booth "What? Of course we are!"

"No! No fucking way, Bones! I am _not_ playing this guy's game." Booth's tone was fierce.

"If playing his game means Parker is returned safely—"

"No!" Booth cut her off. "We'll find another way."

"He's right," Sweets said, looking up from reading the note over Cam's shoulder. "We have to find another way. The FBI won't negotiate with someone like this."

"I don't give a rat's ass about FBI policy right now, Sweets!" snarled Booth. "I am not taking the risk that he ends up with both Parker and Bones. Just…let me think for a minute." He started to pace, angry, nervous energy rolling off of him in waves.

"Even if you wanted to make the trade, would you know how?" Cam turned the note over, looking for more information. "There aren't any instructions here."

"We wouldn't," admitted Brennan.

"It all makes way more sense, now," muttered Sweets.

Booth stopped short to look at Sweets. "What makes more sense, now?"

"I could never figure out why the note writer risked delivering the note in the bookstore the way that he did. Every other time, he's done it in a way that been fairly anonymous. No way he can get caught. But in the bookstore, he approached Parker and Hadley. He spoke with your son. The message in the diaper bag was opportunistic. It was never about delivering the note." Sweets swallowed hard. "He was casing out your kids."

In an instant Booth was across the room, grabbing Sweets by his jacket, lifting him up to his toes.

"Are you fucking telling me," he growled, his face inches from Sweets'. "That if you would have just thought a little harder, you could have seen this coming? Because that's what it sounded like to me."

Cam jumped to her feet. "Seeley let him go."

Sweets was shaking. " I…I don't think this was entirely predictable, no."

"Entirely?" Booth snarled from behind gritted teeth as he fisted the lapels of Sweets' suit a little tighter, shaking the psychologist.

"Booth," Brennan warned, stepping beside them.

"I couldn't have predicted he'd want to make a trade, but I should have thought more about the situation in the bookstore; how it was different from the rest and why." Sweets faltered. "I'm…I'm sorry."

"Booth, let him go." She put her hand on his forearm. "This won't help Parker, now."

Booth continued to stare at Sweets for a moment, then released him with a harsh shove and stepped back. Scrubbing a hand over his face, Booth turned to his partner. "I have to find him, Bones."

"I know."

Sweets cleared his throat. "He'll be in contact again. This is a game to him. He's meticulous. He'll want to be in charge of how that exchange goes down. He knows that he needs the element of surprise on his side or we'll have a team in place and he'll lose."

"He's right," Cam said. "We have to assume he'll send another note or contact you in some way with instructions, otherwise you have no way to meet his demands."

"What do we do until he does?" Brennan asked.

"We keep working what we've got. Go over it all again. Maybe we'll see something we missed," Cam replied.

Booth's phone beeped with a message.

"Angela's got something for us."

* * *

><p>"The shot isn't the best, but this is one of two white vans in the parking lot at the same time we got the shot of our guy. This one," Angela said, bringing up a picture, "has windows in the back, so it's probably not his. I can get a plate though, so I figured it was worth ruling out."<p>

"What about the second one?" Booth asked.

"That's this one." She pulled up another screen. "No plates, but it is parked in the same aisle our guy was walking in."

"Can you get any closer?"

"I did, actually, and that's where this gets interesting." She zoomed in closer. "See there, on the side of the van?"

"It's a Chevrolet," said Brennan seeing the brand name near the front of the van.

"Well, yeah, but look here." Angela closed in further still. "See these shadings? At first I thought the van was just dirty. But the more I looked at it, the more I thought it didn't look random. So I put it in a program designed to discern patterns that might not be obvious to you and me."

They all stared at the screen as the program began to fill in the patterns.

"They're letters," Brennan said.

"And a cupcake," said Hodgins. "As in Casey's Cupcakes."

"A delivery van?" asked Booth.

"Probably," answered Angela. "Most likely there used to be lettering there. For a long time, these things would be painted on, but now it's vinyl lettering. Easier to remove. Over time the sun fades the paint of the vehicle, but not the paint underneath the lettering, leaving a white on white pattern that's almost impossible to see when the letters are removed."

"I'll head over there now," said Booth.

"Will anyone even be at a cupcake shop at this hour?" Brennan asked.

"It's the dessert hotspot in town right now. Trust me, they're open. It's only just after ten." Angela knew her DC hotspots.

Booth nodded. "I'm going."

"I'll get my coat." Brennan turned to head to her office.

"No."

"Booth –"

"Bones, please, just stay here. Stay with Hadley. Tell Rebecca we've got a lead. I'll call when I know something."

She stared at him a moment, then nodded. "Okay."

He stepped towards her. "And stay in the lab. We still don't know how this will play out. I don't want you in any danger."

She sighed and nodded again. "I will."

"Agent Booth."

Booth closed his eyes in irritation. "What, Sweets?"

"I'd like to come with you, maybe I can –"

"No."

"But-"

"No. You go back to your office or club house or wherever you do your shrink stuff after hours and you figure out what the hell else you might have missed."

Sweets opened his mouth as if to protest, then closed it, nodded his head and left the room.

"Seeley, that's not fair. Give him a break." Cam admonished.

"Drop it, Cam," Booth snapped.

Brennan reached up and touched Booth's cheek and for just a moment they both forgot there was anyone else in the room. "You be safe."

He leaned into her hand just for a few brief seconds and drew some strength from her before he took her hand in his own, kissed it and then gently let go. "I will."

Brennan watched him leave. "Seven hours," she murmured, looking at the clock again." Parker's been gone for seven hours."

"Yeah." Angela said sympathetically. "But maybe we're one step closer now, right?"

Brennan looked at her friend and then back at the door that was just closing behind her partner. "I really hope so."


	17. Chapter 17

Brennan approached her office hesitantly. She wasn't certain if she was the right person to speak with Rebecca. Comfort and emotions were not always her strength and her relationship with Rebecca was cordial at best. She wasn't certain she would be able to offer the support Rebecca needed. She took a deep breath and reached for the doorknob, pushing the door open quietly.

What she found surprised her. A tear-stained Rebecca had Hadley in her lap. Hadley was playing with her cow while Rebecca stared absently at Hadley's tiny hands.

"I'm…I'm sorry,"said Brennan, moving to take Hadley from Rebecca. "I thought she'd sleep for a while."

"Oh…" Rebecca smiled wanly as Brennan picked up the baby. "She was just talking to herself in her bed. I hope you don't mind that I took her out."

"Of course not." Brennan settled behind her desk, Hadley in her lap, now.

"I just…babies are…I don't know. It made me feel hopeful, to play with her a little." Rebecca hesitated. "I guess that's silly."

"Sometimes you have to take hope where you can find it."

"She reminds me of Parker at that age. She's very curious and alert." She sighed. "They both have their father's chin." Her own chin wobbled. "Parker adores her, you know?" The last two words were barely whispered out before the tears began.

"He's very sweet with her." Brennan stood and deposited Hadley into her porta-crib with a teething ring. Coming around her desk, she grabbed a box of tissues and offered it to Rebecca.

"Thank you." Rebecca took one and dabbed her bloodshot eyes.

"Booth is out following up on a lead about a van that may have been used in Parker's disappearance."

"I know he's doing everything he can." Rebecca sniffed. "I know you all are."

Brennan nodded. "We won't stop until we find him."

"Parker talks about you all the time." Rebecca looked up with watery eyes to meet Brennan's gaze. "Last week he had a science homework question and he couldn't wait to call and ask you about it."

"Isotopes." Brennan gave a small smile. "I remember."

"You've been very good to him."

"He's a wonderful child."

"He really is. He's the best parts of me and Seeley, you know? Like all the baggage we couldn't get past? All the things that made us a bad match? Only the good stuff made it into Parker's personality."

Brennan nodded, but said nothing.

"He's a really good boy. He always was, even at that age." She bobbed her head towards Hadley. "Just really sweet and even tempered. A few weeks ago I opened my lunch at my desk and he'd left me a note on my napkin. It said 'Have a great day, Mom.' Twelve year olds don't do that, you know?" Her voice cracked, the tears streaming again. "But Parker does. He's the best kid."

"We'll find him."

"You have to. You…you and Seeley have this amazing family and I'm so, so happy for you guys and Parker loves you so much. But…he's all I have. Parker's all I've got and I…I don't know if I can survive this if he doesn't come back to me whole. I need my son. He's my baby." She wept now, shoulders heaving her words barely discernible between the sobs. "He's my baby…my baby…"

Instinctively, Brennan laid her hand on Rebecca's forearm. "Is there someone I could call? Someone who could come and wait with you?"

Rebecca took a deep breath in and let it out slowly. "My mom had a heart attack last year. I…I don't think this would be good for her. And my sister… I talked to her on the phone, but, she's in California with kids of her own..."

Brennan felt helpless. Helpless for Rebecca, helpless for Parker; there was so very little she could offer. "Is there anything else I can do? Anything I can get you?"

Rebecca chuckled bitterly "Oh, I don't know. Sedation? A time machine?"

"Actually…" Brennan grabbed her phone off her desk and dashed off a quick text. "I may know someone who can help."

"With…sedation?"

"Maybe something that can help you sleep for a little while."

"I'll only sleep if this is all just a nightmare when I come to."

Brennan could only hope that if Cam was able to provide what she was looking for, it would all be over when Rebecca woke.

* * *

><p>Booth was back not long after midnight, frustration radiating off of him.<p>

"Nothing?" Brennan didn't even have to wait for Booth to say it as he came onto the platform.

"No. Owner basically exchanged the pink slip for cash, no questions asked."

"Could he at least identify the suspect?"

"Yeah. It's him." Booth looked to the ceiling and blew out a deep breath. "We've got nothing new."

"There's still the possibility of an exchange. We just-"

"No," Booth said, his tone flat. "We are not going there."

"Booth…" She kept her voice low, though they were alone, because she knew the discussion could escalate quickly.

"No. Look, I just…I can't, Bones, okay? I can't. This is an impossible situation for me. Any choice I make here is wrong. Wrong for Parker, wrong for you, wrong for Hadley, wrong for me…I can't make the right choice because there isn't one."

"If we don't make the trade…" She couldn't finish her thoughts.

"If we don't make the trade," he closed his eyes. "If we don't make the trade, we don't know what he'll do to Parker. But if we make the trade…I can't know what he'll do to you. Or even if he'll really give me back Parker."

"Booth," She whispered, even more softly now.

"The worst case scenario here is that I lose you both. I can't risk that. That leaves me and Hadley without either one of you. I can't live that life, Bones. I wouldn't…I wouldn't recover. I couldn't be the dad Hadley deserves."

"He's a child, Booth. If I can save him from this, I should."

"Logically, right?"

"Yes."

"There is nothing logical about this. Nothing. What kind of logic makes a guy obsessed with you? What kind of logic makes that guy kidnap my son? Takes him from his mother? What kind of logic asks a man to give up the woman he loves, the mother of his daughter, for the return of his son? Where is the logic in any of that, Bones? Huh? Please tell me, because I don't see it." His eyes were filled with pain and tears and silence stretched between them for a while before he spoke again. "Right now, there is no choice to make. Even if I wanted to, I literally don't know how to make a trade. So I'll keep working with what I've got and keep trying to find more. And I'll pray to God I never have to make the choice between maybe saving my son and giving you up to a psycho. Because I cannot make that choice, Bones. I just…I can't."

"Then let me choose," she pleaded.

"No."

"Booth, I know that you would find me. You could ping my phone the way we found Broadsky or I could wear a tracking device. I'd have a much better chance of getting away or of being saved than Parker does."

"I have to work with what I've got so that it never gets to that, okay?"

"And once we know how to make a trade?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there."

She knew he was finished talking about it. She also knew she wasn't, but would defer to him for now. "So what's next?"

"I don't know. Angela called when we were on our way to the cupcake place and said she traced the email to an internet café. She could probably explain it better than I can, but what it boils down to is another dead end. Looks like the account was opened at the café, specifically to send you the email. She's running it down but the name on the account is probably bogus. We're no further than we were before." He sighed. "I should talk to Rebecca."

"She's asleep in my office. Cam managed to find her some Valium. You should let her sleep."

"You should sleep, too."

"I'll sleep when you do." She stepped nearer to him and he pulled her in close. "Angela is asleep in her office. She was up all last night as well."

"I'm guessing Hodgins is asleep, too. He didn't answer my text."

"He probably doesn't even have it yet." Brennan closed her eyes and leaned into him heavily.

"I told Cam to go home, but she won't." He talked into her hair.

"They all love Parker. They all love you. That's why they're here."

"Hey, uh, Booth?" Hodgins was standing in front of the platform, waving his phone, a small smirk on his face. "Just got your message. Brennan's fine."

"Thanks, Hodgins." Booth shook his head and released his partner. "I sent that an hour ago."

"Yeah. My phone sucks." The entomologist's grin faded quickly. "Hey, listen, can I take a look at the notes you got? I can't sleep so I thought I could take a look. Fresh eyes." He shrugged. "Maybe there's something there."

"Yeah, that'd be great."

"I don't know what I'm looking for, but I figure it's better than doing nothing, you know?"

"I'll look at them, too." Brennan agreed. At this point, she just wanted to help in any way she could…in any way that Booth would allow.

"OK. I'll call DC Metro and get some updates, then get Hacker up to speed."

* * *

><p>By almost three in the morning the notes were swimming in front of Brennan's eyes. Cam and Angela slept in their offices, ready to help at a moment's notice. Booth was in the lounge, on yet another call with Hacker, debating the next steps. Hodgins was in his office staring at the pictures of the notes to no avail. She had the actual bagged notes clipped to the white board in her office, in order received, trying to make something, anything, out of the evidence in front of her.<p>

Fear and desperation were winning out as she collapsed into her desk chair. Time was running out. All she could think of was Parker; how afraid he must be, how he must be wondering why his father hadn't come for him yet. Her eyes burned with exhaustion and she squeezed them shut, attempting to ward off the tired stinging and the tears of frustration.

It was only then, when she closed her eyes in utter exhaustion, that she realized what had been in front of her all along.


	18. Chapter 18

It was cold in the back of the van.

Parker pulled his knees up closer to himself. He couldn't quite loop his tied hands over them, so he pulled his arms in further and pinned them between his knees and his chest.

He wondered if his mom was scared. He remembered that once, when he was four, he'd hidden in an empty cabinet in their new house. He'd thought it was a fun game of hide and seek until she'd found him, yelled at him and then cried. She said she yelled because she was scared and she cried because she was happy he was okay. He wondered if she would yell and cry this time. He could handle the yelling, but he really, really hated it when his mom cried.

His dad would probably yell, Parker mused. He'd seen his father's badge often enough that he should have known the badge the guy had was fake. But he'd said he knew his dad and he sounded like he was an FBI agent and he'd had the badge so Parker had believed him and gotten willingly into the van. He'd completely forgotten to ask the man for the password. This was his own fault.

Yes, he was certain his mom was scared and his dad was angry. But he was also sure they were looking for him. "Bones, too," he thought to himself. It seemed like it was taking them a long, long time to find him, though.

He couldn't be sure what time it was, but he could see out the front windshield that it was very dark out. It felt like he'd been in the van forever and he was so tired. His eyes kept falling shut and a couple of times he almost fell over, but he wanted to be awake when they came for him.

Parker's stomach growled and he shifted to cover the sound; he was hungry but he really didn't want to get the man's attention. He'd rather be left alone.

For about the millionth time, he glanced at the back cargo doors and wondered if he could make a break for it. If the man fell asleep, he could pick at the rope knots around his ankles and make it out into the street before he woke up.

But the man was wide awake and Parker kept dozing off and he knew the chances of him making it out of the van and to the street were very small.

No, he'd keep waiting for his Dad and Bones to find him. They'd take him to his mom and she'd cry and everything would be okay. He just had to keep waiting. Eventually, they'd come.

The man's phone rang and Parker heard him say "Hello, Temperance."

Parker felt relief course through him.

It was almost time to go home.

* * *

><p>Brennan gripped the desk phone so tightly her knuckles were white. "Where's Parker?"<p>

"All in due time, my Temperance. I knew you'd figure it out. Are you ready to make the trade?"

She glanced quickly at Rebecca, who was sound asleep on the couch. Her eyes darted out her office door to try to see anyone whose attention she could grab.

There was no one and she was tethered to her desk, unable to reach the door or her cell phone, which lay across the room. She had a decision to make.

"Yes. But I want proof of life, first. I need to know he's okay," she whispered into the phone.

"Of course you do. It wouldn't be very thorough of you if you didn't." The man was nearly sugary sweet, as if they were discussing something ordinary like the weather and it made her stomach churn.

Then she heard a soft rustling sound followed by the frightened voice of the boy she'd grown to love. "Bones?"

She closed her eyes as her heart twisted at the fear in his voice. "I'm coming, Parker. I'm coming." She promised him.

"The Southwest corner outside the Jeffersonian in ten minutes. Come alone. I'll know if you don't. You don't want this to get ugly for the boy."

The call was disconnected.

Brennan only spent a second considering her options as his threat rang in her ears.

She walked to her doorway and took in the stillness of the lab. Angela's and Cam's office lights were off, Hodgins' office emanated a dim glow. She could hear Booth in the lounge on the phone, arguing with Hacker, the strain and frustration altering his voice from its normal cool and collected tone.

She made her decision.

She crossed to Hadley's crib and leaned in, tucking her daughter's prized cow in close to her.

"I'm sorry, Hadley. I don't have a choice. Not really. I have to go get Parker." Brennan whispered. "But I think I can safely promise your father will be looking for me. I'm confident that he will find me." She had to stop and wipe away the tears before they fell onto her sleeping daughter." "Daddy is very, very good at his job. He's brave and determined… I know he won't stop until he helps me come back to you." She kissed her own two fingers and pressed them to the baby's cheek. "Bye, Sweet Girl. I love you."

Brennan dimmed her office lights so Booth would think she'd decided to sleep, buying her time to make the trade he was so against. She grabbed her phone and sent a quick text, then attempted to wriggle her coat out from underneath Rebecca on the couch.

"You're leaving?" A drugged Rebecca asked, blinking unfocusedly as Brennan tugged on her coat.

"I…I need some fresh air. Will you be okay here with Hadley?" Brennan pulled her coat loose and put it on, slipping her phone into her pocket.

"Should be." Rebecca answered groggily. "Anything new?"

"Not yet. Soon, I think."

"Will you be gone long?" Rebecca was already starting to slip back into sleep.

"I hope not." Brennan answered honestly and Rebecca's only response was a deep, breath of slumber.

Brennan crossed to her office door and looked up towards the lounge. She could see Booth's back to her, his voice defeated, but unrelenting, making his point to Hacker. She wished she could tell him. She wished she could be held by him one last time, to gather the strength she was going to need from him before she walked away from her life and into the unknown plans of a madman.

She wished she could kiss him just once more.

But wishes were foolish and time was important and even if they weren't he'd never let her go through with what she was about to do. Silently, she apologized to him for hurting him like she knew she was about to, but hearing Parker's voice had left no doubt in her mind.

She was going to make this trade.

With one last longing glance in Booth's direction, she took her shoes into her hands and slipped silently out of her office and out of the lab.


	19. Chapter 19

Parker had been gone over twelve hours by the time Booth hung up with Hacker. They had just under eight hours left before the eleven o'clock deadline arrived.

He didn't want to think about what would happen if they got to eleven without having made a trade.

Hacker wanted to plan for all contingencies, run through all the possibilities. There were so many scenarios Booth didn't want to consider; possibilities he didn't want to think about.

Not yet.

He looked out over the lab and saw that Brennan had dimmed the lights in her office and he was glad she'd decided to get some rest. Although he couldn't see her from this angle, he could picture her sitting with her arms folded on her desk, pillowing her head. He gave passing thought to pulling her out from behind her desk and making her stretch out somewhere more comfortable. He realized, though, that her giving in to sleep at all was rare and he should leave her be. Once he woke her, she wouldn't sleep again.

In sharp contrast to Brennan's office, the light in Angela's office shone brightly, so he made his way there, hoping maybe the bug man had made some progress.

Hodgins and a bleary eyed Angela were staring at the giant screen on the wall.

"Hey, man." Hodgins greeted Booth, but never looked away from the computer.

"Where's Brennan?" asked Angela.

"Asleep in her office." Booth responded. "Did you find anything?"

"No. I've been going over and over it for hours. I just don't see anything here."

"I just put the letters into a program that looks for codes based on words patterns and such. It's still running, but so far? Nothing." Angela squinted at the screen again, then turned to Hodgins. "Babe, did you pull out the numbers?"

"Yeah. They don't mean anything as far as I can tell."

"I can put them in as well…see if they're a code of some kind. Maybe each number has a corresponding letter?" She clicked a few buttons on her control pad, bring the numbers up on the screen.

"2, 1, 4, 1, 5, 3, 1, 1, " read Hodgins. "I can't come up with anything that eight numbers corresponds to."

Angela shook her head, still staring that the screen. "It's not GPS coordinates or any kind of categorizing system that I'm aware of."

"Maybe they don't mean anything at all." Hodgins sounded defeated. "There doesn't seem to be a rhyme or reason to them."

"Wait a minute." Angela cocked her head to the side in thought. "Some of the notes have numerals, but these two," she pointed to the florist's note and the pizza note. "These two have numbers spelled out."

"So?" Hodgins stepped closer to the screen.

"The two notes that don't have numerals were written by people other than the suspect; the florist and the pizza order taker. What if he _meant_ for them to be numerals?" Angela clicked a few buttons. "That adds two 5's and a 2."

"2, 1, 4, 1, 5, 5, 5, 3, 2, 1, 1, " Booth read aloud.

Hodgins looked perplexed. "The 555 part looks like it could be a phone number, but the numbers in front of it don't work for that."

"But the numbers after it do. What if it means more than one thing?" She separated the numbers. "If we assume that th 11 is a phone number, then what could the 2141 be? A street address?"

"Can we coordinate them? Run a check? See if that phone number matches up to anywhere with that address?" Hodgins asked.

"Yeah. It'll take me a little while, though." She started pushing buttons.

"Wait," muttered Booth. He wasn't sure it was the lack of sleep or the gamut of emotions that was running through him at any given moment, but something had kept him from seeing their mistake sooner. "The numbers aren't right."

Angela pulled up the numbers again and double checked. "No, they're right."

"No," Booth shook his head. "They're out of order."

"What do you mean?"

"You've got them in the order they were bagged as evidence," Booth said. "What you've got as the third note was actually the first note she got."

"So the second 'one' should actually be in the front of the sequence," realized Hodgins.

"Right."

Angela moved the numbers around on the screen. "Oh, my God." She took a sharp breath and said it again. "Oh, my God."

"What is it, Angie? What do you see?"

She turned, wild eyed, to Booth. "Didn't you say the note writer is from Dallas?"

"Yeah, looks that way."

"That's a Dallas phone number. That's a Dallas area code."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. That's my dad's area code when he's not touring. His home base is the Dallas area."

"It's not a code at all," said Hodgins.

"No, it's not." Angela agreed. "1-214-555-3211 is absolutely what the note writer wanted us to find. It's his phone number. He gave Brennan his phone number."

* * *

><p>It was cold and dark and deserted on the southeast corner outside the Jeffersonian and everything inside Brennan that she knew Booth would call her gut was telling her she was making a mistake.<p>

She had no control. All of the cards were in the note writer's hands. There was absolutely no certainty he would take her and release Parker.

She should, at the very least, have told Booth.

Just as she pulled out her cell phone to call him, a white van came around the corner and stopped in front of her. The passenger window rolled down and the man from the surveillance pictures spoke to her in his drawl.

"Throw your phone in the bushes, Temperance. It's time to leave your old life behind."

She hesitated. "Where's Parker?"

The man slung his arm over the steering wheel, showing her that he had a gun. "Throw your phone in the bushes," he repeated. The threat now clearer, Brennan did as instructed. "Good. Now get in the back. Someone's waiting on you."

She hurried around to the back of the van and pulled open the cargo doors.

"Bones!" Totally bound, Parker struggled against his restraints, trying to get to her.

"Parker!" Without hesitation she stepped into the van and towards Booth's son, pulling him against her with relief.

"Bones…" He pressed his face into her shoulder and she could feel him shuddering against her.

"I'm here. It's going to be okay." She whispered her promise into his ear and hoped her words were true.

"Close the door and put these on yourself." The note writer threw handcuffs to her and they landed at her feet with a sickening clang.

"You have to let him go," she argued. "This is a trade. Me for him. That was the deal."

"Don't worry, Temperance. I'm a Southern gentleman. We keep our word and I will; on my terms." He pointed the gun at them. "But put the handcuffs on, right now, or I will have to resort to more drastic measures."

She released Parker and picked up the handcuffs, never taking her eyes off their captor. "You won't get away with this." She told him as she leaned back to shut the door behind her, then began to put on the handcuffs. "Whatever you have planned? It won't work."

He smiled, saying nothing as he watched her snap the second cuff closed. Then he turned forward and pressed the gas pedal down, driving Brennan and Parker away from the people who loved them most.


	20. Chapter 20

Booth stood in front of the big screen staring at the phone number that would connect him to the bastard terrorizing his family. His fingers tightened around his cell phone. The father part of him wanted to call it, to threaten the guy, to tell him he'd find him and kill him if anything happened to his son.

But the agent in him knew better.

He couldn't tip his hand. He had to play this by the book.

"Get me whatever you can, Angela."

"Already on it," she answered as Booth put his phone to his ear to speak with Hacker.

"We figured out how to contact him. When we put all the notes together, there's a Dallas based phone number that comes up." He launched into it without greeting or preface, needing to just _move_ on the lead, now that they had it.

"Prepaid cell phone number" said Angela as her screen beeped. "Not traceable."

"It's a burner" Booth reiterated into the phone. He closed his eyes and listened, looking pained as Hacker spoke on his end of the phone. "I know. I know. We've got," he checked his watch "just over six hours to meet his deadline. This number is obviously how he wants to facilitate the trade." He was quiet again. "No, it's still not my ideal scenario, Sir. It seems risky. But I don't think he's going to be in contact again. I think this number is all we've got and we're going to have to use it."

The air was still as Angela and Hodgins listened in on Booth's conversation with his boss.

"This guy is smart; he'll have planned this out. He won't give us time to assemble a team once we've called. He'll probably demand she come alone, which is not going to happen."

Booth looked to the ceiling as if searching for strength. "If we do this, we have to make him come to us. It has to be on our terms or I can't protect her."

Angela jumped as Hodgins' cell phone chimed in the wordless quiet on Booth's side of the conversation.

"Of course she'll do it. She's already offered, but I'm still not sure it's our best choice. And before we do anything I need," his voice became strangled. "I need proof of life, Sir, before I even pretend to hand him someone else I care about."

"Booth," Hodgins tried, unsuccessfully, to interject.

"We can try to plan for every scenario but the truth is if we do this, he's in the driver's seat. We have to have everyone assembled and ready to move before we place the call."

"Booth," Hodgins tried again to get Booth's attention to no avail.

"I think she'll have to be the one to call him. The notes were to her. He won't want to talk to me or anyone else."

"Booth!" Louder, more insistent now.

"No, I'm really not fully on board, sir, but I'm not seeing what other choices we-"

"_Booth!" _This time Hodgins wasn't going to let it go.

"_What?"_ Booth snarled, his hand wrapping around the phone speaker.

"I don't think you have any choices at all." Hodgins said grimly.

"What do you mean?"

Hodgins handed Booth his phone.

"_Making the trade. So sorry, Booth. I love you.-B"_

Booth's face seemed to set in horror as the message seeped in, then he bolted for the door.

For the third time since the campaign of terror against his family began, Booth found himself running, this time toward his partner's office. Hacker had been forgotten, Angela and Hodgins were on his heels, but none of that registered.

He threw the door open and hit the switch, flooding the room with light.

"Bones!"

Hadley started in her crib when her father thundered her mother's name and she began to scream in protest and fear.

Rebecca sat bolt upright. "Seeley, what's…what's wrong?

"Where's Bones?"

"What?" Rebecca blinked, trying to come out of her haze as Hadley shrieked in her bed.

"Where's Bones? Did you see her leave?"

"I don't…I don't think so…" Rebecca shook her head and rubbed her eyes.

"Her coat's gone" noticed Angela.

Booth grabbed her bag from the floor and turned it over onto her desk, the contents spilling out. He sifted through them quickly, Hadley's cries going unanswered. "She took her phone."

"I'll go track it." Angela sprinted out of the office.

"She…she had her coat on," mumbled Rebecca, swinging her feet to the floor and sitting on the edge of the couch.

"What?" Booth snapped.

"I remember she was buttoning her coat. She said that she needed some air."

"Rebecca, I need you to think." Booth demanded, pacing wildly behind Brennan's desk "What else she say?"

Rebecca shook her head again. "Um ….I asked her if there was anything new. I remember that she said she thought there would be soon…" She pushed her hands through her hair. "I asked her if she'd be gone long, I think. She said she hoped not." She raised her shoulders in a helpless shrug. "That's…that's all I remember.

"Do you have any idea when that was?" He was on the edge. He could feel hysterical rage and helplessness creeping in. He could hear his voice rising.

"Based on when the text came in, I'm guessing just over an hour ago." Hodgins answered for her.

"Maybe." Rebecca dropped her gaze apologetically. "I just don't know."

"How the hell did this happen? How did she get by you, Hodgins?

"Whoa! What?"

"You were awake. Why didn't you see her? Rebecca, why didn't you think, just for one second, to realize that what she was saying couldn't be true? She wouldn't 'go out for air' right now. How could you miss that?" He was ranting; panic, fear and guilt seizing him from within.

"You're blaming us?" Hodgins asked.

"How did she get through an entire lab of security without anyone catching her? Angela should have known-"

"Booth," Cam warned from where she had just stepped into the office.

He was still pacing, his actions frantic. "Why weren't you in contact with her Hodgins? You were working on the same damn thing." He pounded the white board with his fist, causing it to tilt and slam into the wall, scaring Hadley further. She cried harder as he got louder, assigning blame to anyone he could. "You should have been talking to her. You should have-"

"Seeley, stop!" Cam ordered firmly over Hadley's sobs. "Just stop."

"I should have known, Cam. I should've…I…" He was dangerously close to falling apart and he knew it.

"I know this is hard, okay?" Cam stepped towards him, her words slow and deliberate. "But what you need to do, right now, is calm down and pick up your daughter. She needs you."

Booth blinked, Cam's words bringing Hadley's frightened sobs to his attention.

He made it to her crib in one long stride, scooping her up and holding her against his chest.

"Angela told me what's going on. She's tracking Brennan's phone right now. There are a lot of variables in play here. But we've got this, okay? We're good. We will find them. Both of them." Cam spoke as his friend but with all the authority of a woman in charge.

Booth barely heard her, though, focusing for the moment on Hadley. "I'm sorry, Baby Girl. It's okay. I'm right here." He laid his cheek on top of her head and couldn't help but notice that she smelled like a combination of baby shampoo and her mother. "I'm right here. We're gonna be okay. This is all gonna be okay." He took a deep, shuddering breath, regaining his control. "Daddy's gonna fix this. I promise."

She quieted to all but some gentle hiccups and within her tiny baby breaths, Booth found the strength he needed to face what Angela had to say when she appeared in the doorway.

"The GPS in her phone says she's right here. Outside the Jeffersonian. Southeast corner."

* * *

><p>They were more than an hour from the Jeffersonian.<p>

Or at least, more than an hour had passed since they'd left the Jeffersonian. She had tried to catalog the number of turns he had taken, but his way was so winding she hadn't been able to keep track.

Parker slept. His head was resting in her lap, and his bound hands were tucked beneath his cheek as her fingers worked through his hair, soothing and calming him.

Soothing and calming her as well.

She was determined not to show Parker her fear. She had realized all along the note writer might not actually let him go, but she still had an inkling of hope. He'd said he'd keep his word and release Parker on his terms. She didn't know what those terms might be, but as long as they resulted in Parker's freedom, she didn't care what they were.

She would find her way out of this. Booth would come for her. Parker was what mattered now.

After nearly ninety minutes the van came to a halt and the man got out. Every muscle in Brennan's body tensed in anticipation.

The back doors opened and the man held his hand out to her.

"Welcome home, Temperance."


	21. Chapter 21

"Home" was, in fact, what looked like the middle of nowhere.

She had refused the note writer's help getting out of the van and once Parker's legs were untied and he was let out, she laid her cuffed wrists on his shoulder to keep him close.

"Right this way." The man's kind tone was a direct contrast to the bindings and gun. He urged them forward, toward an extremely small, rundown building. It was gray and weathered. Nothing about it stood out with the exception of pot of daisies near front door and black iron bars on the windows.

"Now, Temperance, I know that it's not much," he said, as he opened the door and ushered them inside the ramshackle cottage. "But it's just a place for us to start. Once you understand that we are meant to be together, we'll look for something better. A place of our own."

Brennan stomach twisted at his words, but she tried not to let on. While she didn't put much stock in psychology, she had decided it would be best to let this man think she was willingly going along with his plans.

The note writer turned on a lamp and Brennan blinked at the harsh change from the dim light of dawn. Once her eyes had adjusted she could see the interior of the building was but three small rooms. The main area through the front door consisted of a small kitchen, with only a stove and a miniature refrigerator. Two folding trays, Booth had called them TV trays and she had refused to purchase them, were folded and leaning against a wall. There was no kitchen table. There was also no couch or arm chair in the small living space. Instead, a twin bed took up the wall at the back of the room, and sat across from two doors. The bed was covered in a worn out looking quilt and a dingy pillow, with an extra, crocheted afghan across the foot of the bed.

He pointed at the bed. "This here is where you'll sleep until you're ready to share my bed." He turned and pointed to one of the doors on the opposite wall. "My room is right there. And the other's the bathroom."

Parker shifted in front of her and she instinctively knew what that meant. "Parker, do you need to use the restroom?"

Parker nodded and the man gestured toward the proper door. "Go ahead, son. Can you manage with your hands like that?"

"I…I think so."

"Good. I'll close the door to give you privacy. There's no window or anything, so I'm not real worried about you in there."

Parker looked over his shoulder at Brennan and she encouraged him with a small smile. "Go ahead, Parker. I'll be here when you come out."

Parker went inside and the man shut the door.

Brennan seized the moment. "What are you planning? This was supposed to be a trade. You said you'd keep your word."

"I will. There wouldn't have been enough time at the pick-up point. I had to get us out of there quickly, so the trade will have to wait. I've been up for days, Temperance, getting ready for you. I'm beat. And I know you haven't slept because you were looking for the boy. So we'll rest up a bit and then I'll take him back out and let him go. Don't you worry about that." He stepped close to her, his mouth next to her ear and she could feel and hear him smell her hair. "I know it will take time, Sweetheart, but you will grow to trust me. Someday, you will come to understand, the way I do, that you and I are meant to be together. And once you do, we're going to have a very happy life."

She heard the toilet flush and the sink water run and she hoped Parker would give her the time to ask one more question.

"Why Parker? If you know so much about me, you must know he's not my son. How could you even be sure I'd make the trade? Why involve him at all?" She couldn't help but step away from his hot breath on her neck.

The man smiled and his eyes gleamed in a way that made dread bubble in her stomach. "I couldn't just take you off the street. I know what you're capable of and even if I didn't, there isn't much opportunity. You're not alone very often. I needed..." he seemed to search for the right word, "...an incentive and I knew you'd make a trade. It's who you are. I know about the bridge you paid for and the scholarships you set up. I know you care about those people." He looked proud of his plan. "I took the boy because I knew you'd care enough to let him go home, back to his mom and his dad. I couldn't be sure about the baby. I thought you might want to keep her here with us, and that's just not my plan. Your life, as you knew it, is over. And it will take a while for you to see it, but a better, more wonderful life awaits us, together."

Parker opened the door and she held her bound hands out to him, motioning with her fingers for him to come back to her.

"But you are going to let him go," she didn't ask, but rather stated it like a fact.

"Yes." The man smiled again and spoke to Parker. "Don't worry, Buddy. I'll let you go, right after we all get some rest, okay?"

Parker nodded wordlessly.

"Good, now, why don't you two take that bed, there." He pointed and the twin bed. "Go ahead and lay down." He urged, motioning towards the bed with is gun.

Brennan laid on her side and Parker laid with his back to her front.

"Nice. You should sleep just fine that way." The man grinned cheerfully. "Of course, you'll forgive me for tying you to the bedframe. I can't take any chances!" He produced two sets of restraints, attaching one end to their ankles and the other to the bed. "Eventually, this won't be necessary, but for now, I've got to make sure you stay with me, Temperance."

"I understand." She said, hoping she sounded compliant.

"Good girl." The man crossed the small room to the door of his bedroom. "Rest well y'all and don't worry, kiddo. You'll be back with your parents soon enough." He stepped into the bedroom and then back out again, quickly. "Almost forgot!" He went to the front door, fished a key from his pocket and locked the house up from the inside. "Just in case you decide to be foolish." He crossed back to his room. "Sweet dreams."

"Wait!" Brennan called after him. "If," she swallowed the disgust that was threatening to creep into her voice. "If we are going to be spending all this time together, shouldn't I at least know your name?"

He smiled that same smile again and Brennan felt Parker cringe against her as goose bumps raised on her own skin.

"My name is Todd."

* * *

><p>Booth approached the southeast corner of the Jeffersonian as he would any other potentially dangerous situation. His gun was drawn, his actions stealthy and his ears were on high alert.<p>

He peeked carefully from behind the brick wall of the building.

And saw no one.

He rounded the corner, eyes casing his surroundings.

The area was empty.

"It's clear. There's no one here." He said dejectedly into the mic. "Call it, Cam."

Faintly, he heard the ringing of a cell phone begin and walked towards the noise before it stopped. "Again." He said and the phone began to ring again.

It took a moment, in the gray light of dawn, to find it in the bushes.

"I've got it. She tossed it." He felt sick with fear and fury.

"Angela got the call log for Brennan's desk phone." Cam's voice was a mixture of sympathy and business. "Looks like it's been about 90 minutes since she made the call to him."

The phone number from the notes had been burned into his brain from the moment he saw it and rage was getting the better of him. Shoving Brennan's phone into his pocket, he pulled his own phone out and jabbed at the numbers. He wanted to talk to this man, to threaten him, to make him understand that he would find him and there would be no accounting for his actions once he did.

But instead he heard, once again, a faint ringing in the bushes. Digging deeper in, he found the note writer's phone.

"Cam, I need you to come out here with gloves and evidence bags. We've got the bastard's phone."

"You're hoping for a print." Cam's voice came back at him through his earpiece.

"A print, a hair, anything."

"On my way."

Booth took in the dim sky of the early morning and heard the first chirps of the birds in the air.

"I'm coming." He spoke his words to his partner and his son into the empty street. "I promise."


	22. Chapter 22

The light was seeping in through the window in the kitchen portion of the room where Brennan and Parker lay.

Even if it had been pitch black, she would not have closed her eyes.

"Bones? Are you awake?" Parker's voice was a scratchy whisper full of fear.

"Yes," She answered quietly.

"Are you scared?"

If there was one thing Brennan wouldn't do in this situation, it was lie to Parker. "Yes."

"Do you think he's really going to let us go?"

She took a deep breath. "No. But I do think he will let _you_ go, Parker, and right now that is the most important thing. Your parents are very worried about you."

"Dad will be worried about you. Hadley, too."

She felt herself tear up and blinked hard to keep the tears from falling. "Yes. I know. But that is why it's important to know everything you can about this place and this man. You are going to have to tell your father everything you can remember."

"Like that his name is Todd?"

"Yes. What else?"

"Um, that…that his van has shelves on one side of the inside?"

"Good. What else? Think of your scouting skills."

"Um…the house is facing east because I saw the sun come up."

"And what do you hear?"

"Humming. I think it's the fridge."

"Right. What about outside?"

Parker was quiet for a minute. "I don't hear anything."

"Exactly. No cars, no birds, nothing. It's very quiet."

"And there was nothing around us when we got here. Just this house."

"That's right. Your father will want to know all these things. You tell him everything, no matter how insignificant you think it is, okay?"

"Okay." Parker was quiet for a few moments and she wondered if he was drifting off.

He wasn't. "Bones?"

"Mmm?"

"I…I kinda don't want to leave you here."

A tear fell now. There would have been no stopping it, just as there was no stopping the words she spoke next. "You are so much like your father." She buried her nose in his hair.

"That's a good thing, right?"

"That is a very good thing." She agreed. "But I will be fine. Your father will be looking for me and I will do my best to come home, too. The most important thing right now is getting you back to your parents, okay?"

"Okay."

"You should try to sleep," she urged him softly.

"Why?"

"You are going to need all your energy."

"For what?"

"For whatever comes next."

* * *

><p>Booth waited impatiently in the hall in front of the FBI lab for the forensics tech to finish his analysis of the phone. Normally he'd turn over the evidence and then go chase down another lead. But this time there were no other leads, and Booth wanted to hear the results of the one piece of evidence they had as soon as the forensics guy was done.<p>

He shifted his weight, tapped his foot and played with his poker chip; anything to try to ward off exhaustion and clear his head of the dark thoughts that were starting to creep in.

He kept checking his phone to make sure he hadn't missed a call or a text. He couldn't stop tracking the time. What was taking so long? It seemed endless; the kidnapper's phone his only link to two of the people he loved most in this world.

Finally, the tech emerged. "Agent Booth? We've got something."

* * *

><p>"The bastard made his big mistake." Booth announced triumphantly into his phone on his way back to the Jeffersonian from the Hoover. "We've got a partial print."<p>

"That's only helpful if he's in the system, Booth," Angela warned in an attempt to keep them both realistic.

"Yeah, well, here's hoping." Booth muttered.

"I took Hadley up to the daycare. I hope that's okay. I gave her breakfast and everything. I just…I could just hear Brennan in my head, talking about babies finding security in routine. I figure Hadley could use that security right now."

"Yeah, that's…" Booth exhaled hard, trying to keep himself together. "That's perfect, Angela. Thanks."

"How you holding up?"

"Not great."

"Yeah."

"I'll be there in ten."

"I'll have the program ready to go." Angela disconnected and Booth decided that ten minutes was too long and flipped on his siren.

* * *

><p>"You jackass!" Rebecca accosted him first thing. "You never told me there was a note asking for a trade."<p>

"We were hoping it wouldn't come to that, Rebecca." He walked past her, not in the mood for the fight she clearly wanted to have.

"So, you just left Parker with a madman while you tried to figure out how to save your girlfriend?"

"That is _not_ what happened." Booth tried to maneuver past her to get to Angela's office, but she stepped in front of him.

"Sounds to me like that's exactly what happened. You two give me a sedative so I'm clueless and out cold to buy yourselves time so you can save yourselves while our son is at the mercy of a crazy person. God only knows what he's done to Parker, Seeley, just so you and –"

"Rebecca! You have no idea what the hell you are talking about, alright?" He snapped, then tried to reel himself back in. "Right now, our son and the woman I love are both missing and I've got something that might lead us to them, so get out of my way." He pushed past her, leaving Rebecca alone and furious in the middle of the lab.

* * *

><p>Brennan stayed awake long after Parker's breathing evened out to the steady pace of sleep.<p>

She took in the room, checking for any details that could help Booth find them.

There were none.

No mail or magazines with address labels. No paperwork of any kind. No current newspapers that would indicate the house was on any kind of paper route. There was nothing remarkable about the home that would make it stand out in any way, and though there was electricity, she guessed it was from a generator, not from a billable power source.

The bars over the curtainless windows seemed newer than the rest of the house and she surmised those were added in anticipation of her arrival.

She wondered if the pot of daisies, cheerful and charming against the gray and gloom out front was for her, too.

She fought sleep, trying desperately to memorize and categorize everything she could. Anything she could pass on to Booth through Parker.

Anything that could help him find her.

She could hear the soft snoring of her captor and she wondered who he was and how he had become the sort of man who would do this. How had he become a man who would steal another person's life for his own happiness? What kind of life had he had? She wondered if Sweets had enough information to make a profile for Booth. Booth had found them helpful in the past.

She hadn't meant to doze off and started awake to the feeling of something soft and doughy on her cheek.

"Good morning, Temperance."

He'd kissed her.

Everything inside her recoiled in disgust. She wanted to scream at him not to touch her, not to come anywhere near her.

But she didn't.

She'd been held captive before, so she knew from experience that she needed to remain calm. She understood cooperation was key. The sooner he trusted her, the sooner he would relax. The sooner he relaxed, the sooner he would make a critical error.

The sooner he made that error, the sooner she could go back to her life.

So she forced herself to remain neutral. "Good morning."

"Did you sleep well?"

"Not really," she whispered, though she could detect Parker's muscles tensing against her and knew he was awake. "Being bound makes it difficult to rest comfortably."

"You're probably hungry. I will make us all something to eat."

"And then?"

"Then I will give back the boy." He smiled. "And we'll begin our life together."

* * *

><p>"This will take a while." Angela commented, looking at the tech's report. "Partial prints are tougher to match to any one particular person."<p>

"I know. It'll generate a list, right?"

"Yeah, it'll spit out every potential match and then I can cross reference those with other factors like gender and age to try to narrow it down."

"Look specifically for anyone with a restraining order against them." Sweets was in the doorway. "Dr. Brennan probably isn't his first obsession."

"Criminal complaints and restraining orders." Booth agreed.

"You got it." Angela went to work, typing and clicking and pulling up programs as Booth crossed to Sweets.

"I called you down here because as soon as we've got a better idea of who this guy is, I want a complete profile. I need to know exactly who we are dealing with."

"Sure." Sweets hesitated. "I…I want to apologize—"

"Don't." Booth held up his hand. "There's only one person at fault here and it sure as hell isn't you. I just…I took it out on you."

"Placing blame is understandable. Expected even."

With Sweets' words Booth caught a glimpse of his Rebecca standing mid-platform, her face twisted with tears and anger and the utter helplessness of a terrified mother.

"Could you…could you talk with her?" He nodded toward his ex. "I think she needs the whole story and I think she could use someone to talk to. It just can't be me right now."

"Yeah. I can do that. Let me know when you have some more information on this guy and I'll start a profile."

"Thanks, Sweets." Booth blew out a deep breath and looked back at Angela's big screen as information began to flicker across it.

He was getting closer.


	23. Chapter 23

Brennan watched intently as Todd fixed some basic food; scrambled eggs and toast with some orange juice from a new container he pulled out of the small refrigerator. She observed carefully as he prepared it, making sure he didn't add anything extra that would dull her mind or her body.

He set the food on the TV trays in front of them, their ankles still fastened to the bed, then moved back into the kitchen area for his own food. Parker looked at Brennan questioningly and she nodded to Parker that he should eat, though she herself only picked at her food.

There was no conversation. Todd ate heartily, but said nothing and Brennan certainly had no desire to initiate any communication.

When they were finished he removed their trays and washed their dishes, leaving the plates to try in a small drying rack on the tiny counter. Then, one at a time, he escorted them to the restroom, standing guard outside the door as they used the toilet. Brennan was glad for the fresh water as she washed her face and hands with the cheap soap he'd provided.

He smiled at her as he walked with her back to the bed, fastening her to it once more. "It's time for you to say goodbye, now, Temperance."

"What?" Panic ripped through her as Parker's eyes widened in fear.

"I'm going to take the boy back now. You should say your goodbyes. This is the last time you will see him."

"No. No!" She scrambled to think of the right thing to say. "I…I'm a scientist. I have to have proof. Evidence. If you…if you want me to trust you, to believe that you are a trustworthy person, I will need evidence that Parker has been released as you promised he would be. I will need to see it for myself that you let him go."

Todd seemed to consider this, his eyebrows furrowed, his lips pursed as he rubbed his hand over his chin.

"You won't try anything?"

"Of course not. My concern here is Parker. This is an excellent way for us to build trust. You show me that you are a man of your word and I will show you that I keep mine as well. I will not try to escape." She willed away the shiver that wanted to come out with her next words. "Trust is crucial for a successful relationship."

Slowly, as if processing, Todd nodded. "Alright. I can see this will be an opportunity for me to prove to you that I'm a good man who is worthy of your love."

"Thank you." She was grateful; the sentiment real.

He tied Parker's hands and then unfastened his ankles. "I'll load him first, then you."

Brennan nodded and watched as Todd unlocked the door, leaving it open behind him as he escorted Parker to the van. She watched Parker's backwards glances and shuffling feet, his uncertainty revealed in his gait. She watched as Todd opened the cargo doors, blocking her view of Parker getting into the van. She watched Todd climb in as well, rope in hand, so he could tie Parker's ankles together once more.

He came back fairly quickly and handcuffed her again, then unlocked the tether that was keeping her in place.

He took her by the elbow, not roughly, but firmly and steered her towards the van.

It was now that she hoped her acting skills were better than Booth said they were.

She pretended to twist her ankle, falling suddenly to the ground and out of Todd's grasp.

"Oh," she gasped. "Ow!"

"Are you alright?" Todd was quick to help her up and she tried to avoid cringing as he put one hand at her elbow again and wrapped one arm around her waist to support her. "Lean into me and try not to put as little weight on it as you can." He instructed her and she did, in order to make her fall seem real.

"You'll have to help me into the van." She said as she fake limped her way to the doors.

Awkwardly, he helped her climb into the van on her knees, keeping pressure off her foot.

"You want me to look at it?" He asked her as she turned around to sit with her legs dangling over the back of the van.

"It's just twisted, I think, but perhaps some ice would be helpful."

He nodded and trotted back into the house.

Quickly, obscured from view by the cargo door, she swung her legs into the van and jumped to her feet, crossing to where Parker sat.

"Are you okay, Bones?"

"Yes." She said hurriedly. "Give this to Dr. Hodgins, okay?" She deposited the handful of dirt she had collected in her "fall" into Parker's shirt pocket. "Your father will know why."

Parker nodded. "Okay."

She managed to get back to the doors before Todd returned with a plastic shopping bag filled partially with ice.

"It's all I've got," he said apologetically, "but I thought I could tie the rope around this to hold it on your ankle."

Brennan nodded. "That would be fine. I appreciate it." She held the pack in place while he tied the rope around it.

"Does that hurt?"

"No, it's all right. Thank you."

He nodded and she scooted back into the van, next to Parker. Todd watched as she settled in, then closed the door.

Brennan smiled encouragingly at Parker. "You've been very brave, Parker," was all she managed to say before Todd was getting into the driver's seat.

"So have you," Parker whispered, and leaned into her.

She leaned into him as well, resting her chin on his head. It was the only kind of hug their bound limbs would allow.

* * *

><p>Cam found Booth in the lounge, elbows on his knees, head in his hands.<p>

She'd known him a long time and never seen him wear such a mixture of despair and fear. It radiated off of his sagging shoulders, his red rimmed, sunken eyes, his pale skin and his slumped posture. Booth was a man of determination and strength. This man in front of her looked afraid and broken.

It scared her.

She set the sandwich she'd brought for him on the table, then wordlessly sat down beside him and waited for him to talk.

"I hate this part," he said finally.

"What part?"

"This part of a case. Any case. The part where I have to wait for other people to do their jobs so I can do mine."

"Ah." She nodded her understanding.

"I just…the waiting is killing me."

"I think we both know it's not just the waiting, Seeley." She prodded her friend gently.

"Yeah," he said hoarsely, looking away from her gaze. "You know, I'm trying, here, Cam, but there's a part of me…" He looked agonized. "There is a part of me that is really pissed at her for this."

"At Brennan?"

"Yeah, I mean, we have a daughter. Hadley needs her. _I_ need her. Guys like this? They don't keep their promises. They don't hold up their end of the deal. We still had time. I would have figured out a way. But she went and tried to bargain with the guy and look what it got us? They're both gone. They're both gone and I'm…I'm spinning, here, Cam." He broke, tears spilling. "I can't breathe, you know?"

"She didn't do this because she thought you were wrong, Seeley."

"I know. She did it because she loves him."

"Yes. She does. But, she also did it to save you from having to make the choice between her and Parker. She did it to save you from the guilt that would come with whatever choice you made." She put her hand on his arm. "You're not angry at her. You're angry at this situation."

He nodded, wiping the tears off his cheeks. "I can't lose them," he whispered.

"It's not going to come to that. We've got a partial print. That's more than we had before. We're going to find them and bring them home. But you need your strength. Parker and Brennan need you firing on all cylinders. I'm not even going to try to suggest that you sleep, because I know you won't. But you should eat." She pointed at the sandwich.

"I'm not hungry."

"You can't help them if you can't function." She shoved the sandwich towards him. "Eat." He stared at the food, but made no move to pick it up, so she played her last card. "Dr. Brennan would want you to take care of yourself. If she were here, she'd make you eat that sandwich." She raised her eyebrows pointedly.

He chuckled wryly. "Okay."

"Good." She squeezed his elbow and stood to leave. "I'll be in my office making some phone calls if you hear anything."

"Thanks, Cam."

"Sure." She turned on her heel and went to her office to make her calls.

What she hadn't told him was that her calls would be to hospitals and police stations, looking for unidentified twelve year old boys. Alive and otherwise.

* * *

><p>Brennan estimated they drove an hour from the house where Todd was keeping them. Once again his way was winding and she couldn't be sure of his turns and directions.<p>

When he finally stopped she was able to see out the windshield that they were in an old industrial area. It looked like rows and rows of abandoned warehouses and she was mortified that this is where he was planning on leaving Parker.

"We're here." Todd grinned from the front seat.

"This is an abandoned area…a very unsafe part of town. You can't leave him here."

"I can and I am. Leaving him here buys us time to get you back home without your partner tracking us down. I'm still holding up my end of the bargain. Are you going to hold up yours?" He put his hand on the gun lying in the passenger seat beside him.

She knew she had no choice. "Yes. I won't try to escape as long as you let him go."

"Good." Todd exited the vehicle and Brennan took her chance.

"Parker, you listen to me. You have to run, okay? Run! Run as fast as you can away from this van. The minute he unties your legs, you go. Do not look back here. Just run. Run and don't stop until you find someone you know you can trust; a…a policeman or a firehouse or a school or a hospital." She couldn't stop her tears now. They were a combination of terror for Parker and of a sad but hopeful goodbye. "And you give them your father's phone number and you tell them he's with the FBI and he will come and get you. You are almost safe, Parker. You just have to run. Do you understand me?"

Parker nodded as Todd opened the back doors. "What about you?" he asked her.

She glanced at their captor and then back at Parker. "I'm going to stay here with Todd and get to know him better. He's been pretty nice to us. I'd like to spend more time with him." She lied now, hoping to continue to lull Todd into false security. Unable to look Parker in the eye as she fibbed, her mother's ring came into focus. "Here," she told Parker, slipping it off her finger. "Give this to Hadley when you get home. It was my mother's." She placed it in his palm and curled his fingers around it, holding his hand in hers for a moment. "She should have it."

Parker flung himself into her and she managed to spread her elbows apart far enough to loop her arms around him. "Just remember everything we talked about, okay?" She whispered into his ear.

"I love you, Bones." It was barely audible, his voice hushed in fear.

"I love you, too." She choked on a sob as she desperately tried to keep herself together. "Now go. And remember what I said." She lifted her arms and Parker scooted to the edge of the van.

Todd untied Parker's hands, then his ankles. "See ya, kid."

Parker turned to take one last look at Brennan, who nodded her encouragement.

Then he jumped to the ground and ran.


	24. Chapter 24

_**A/N**- Monday is a holiday here in the US, but there will still be a chapter posted, either early Monday morning or, potentially, late Sunday night. :)_

* * *

><p>Parker ran as far and as fast as he could.<p>

His lungs were on fire, his legs felt like rubber and he couldn't breathe, but all he could hear was Brennan telling him to run until he was safe. So he kept going until he couldn't go anymore.

He stopped between two buildings and tried to catch his breath and just think for a minute.

He knew his dad would want to know everything. What the house looked like, what the kidnapper's name was, where he'd been dropped off; everything. And Parker knew he would never remember the path he took trying to get to safety in an unfamiliar area.

"Think of your scouting," Brennan had said.

So he did.

He found an old pipe, one his mom would probably yell at him for picking up, and ran it through the mud beside the building where he stopped. Then on the bricks, at eye level, he marked a big "P" with an arrow pointing where he'd come from.

If nothing else, his dad would know where he'd been.

In his left hand he still clutched the ring Brennan had given him for Hadley, the pattern now indented into his palm. He didn't like that she'd given it to him. It made him feel like she thought she might never see Hadley again and that thought made him want to cry. Carefully, he went to place the ring in his pocket.

And bumped his pedometer.

Parker Booth was his father's child: quick on his feet, fast to adapt and determined, he was always able to come up with a plan. He pushed Brennan's ring into the furthest, safest corner of his pants pocket, reset his pedometer, and began to run again, a little slower now, pacing himself so he wouldn't have to stop, the pipe still in his hand.

Every so often he stopped, dragged the pipe through some mud, marked a building with a "P" and went on.

Whenever he turned he made a "P" on the closest building.

Like he had promised, he just kept going.

He had to get to his dad. He wanted to see his mom.

He fell once, ripping his jeans and skinning his knee, but he got up and began again.

Every footfall repeated Brennan's words to him. "Don't. Stop. Don't. Stop. Don't. Stop. Don't. Stop."

And he didn't.

He was getting so, so tired. He could tell by the dip in temperature that it was heading towards evening. It was the same dip he felt when he came out of yearbook club at 4:15. The kind of dip where he knew the day was behind him and the evening was ahead of him and he knew he'd better find some help soon before it was dark and he was alone in the night.

Just as he began to envision having to run in the dark, he made another turn and marked another "P" and looked up and noticed a change.

This looked more like a town and less like an industrial area. He saw buildings and a few cars. He saw a few people on a porch.

He'd gotten away.

Now to find someone he could trust.

He ran a little slower, now, reading signs, looking for the kinds of places Brennan had instructed him to find. He saw a post office and a liquor store and a church. He thought the church might be good, but it looked empty, so he kept going.

He saw a gas station and a fast food restaurant and then a few more boarded up places before he found what he was looking for.

The lettering was green with a green cross, or maybe it was a plus sign, on it. "Med Clinic" it read. And the sign on the door said "Open."

He was almost home.

* * *

><p>It had been hours since the partial print had been found. Booth knew that when Angela had something to tell him, she would let him know immediately.<p>

But that didn't stop him from checking in with her every so often and pacing in front of her office making phone call after phone call to every single agent working any angle of the case at all, looking for updates, ideas…anything they might have missed. He was becoming more frantic as the hours passed.

Parker had been gone more than 24 hours now…his job didn't allow him the luxury of not knowing what that 24 hour mark meant.

He looked at his watch. It had been at least 20 minutes since he'd last checked with Angela. Knowing she probably didn't have anything new, but needing to check anyway, he stepped into her office.

"Anything?" He asked her.

"Booth," she said, a little impatiently, "it takes time for these things, the computer has - "

He snapped. "I know what the computer's doing, Angela," he hollered. "What I also know is that _my kid_ and _my partner_ don't have any time! God only knows what that psycho is going to do to them. Or what he's already done. Every minute that passes-"

"I know what's at stake! Okay Booth? I know!" She matched his volume, her anger flashing. "I love them, too! She's my best friend. I've been up for days, doing everything I can and I just…" She took a shuddering breath. "I'm doing everything I can." She repeated softly, but her chin was lifted stubbornly. "Just like you."

There was a knock in the doorframe but neither Booth nor Angela broke their eye contact with one another.

"Agent Booth" Sweets called from the door.

"Sorry, Ange" Booth whispered.

She nodded. "I know. Me too."

Sweets cleared his throat. "Agent Booth, a word, please?"

Booth turned his head to look back at Sweets. "Yeah."

"I will let you know as soon as I have anything." Angela promised.

"Thanks." Booth strode out of her office and over to where Sweets had stationed himself. "What's up, Sweets?"

"I'm…" the young doctor looked nervous. "Look, I shouldn't do this. But…" He shifted and looked away nervously.

"Just spit it out."

"I'm not here as your co-worker, alright? You are hearing this from your friend."

"I'm not gonna like this, am I?"

"No," Sweets shook his head. "No, you're not." He took a deep breath. "Hacker called me. He wanted my opinion on pulling you off the case."

"_What_?"

"He just thinks maybe you're too volatile; too close."

"Of course I'm close, Sweets! Bones and Parker are my family!"

"Right. They've already given you a lot of leeway on this. Normally, an agent with personal involvement wouldn't be in on the investigation. You know that."

"No one will look for them as hard as I will. No one will work with the squints like I will. _You_ know _that_."

"Yes. I do. And Assistant Director Hacker does, too, which is why he's let you take the lead. But, he's been getting phone calls. Complaints that you're yelling at agents, coming unglued, being unreasonable. He asked me for my opinion on your psychological state. He's concerned your personal relationships with the vic-"

"Don't you _dare_ call them that!"

Sweets held up a hand. "I told him that you are uniquely qualified to run the investigation. You've been involved from the very beginning, you and the lab, you're a team. You do your best work together as a whole. But I can't hold Hacker off forever, because he's not wrong, Booth. You are starting to lose it."

"I'm fine." Booth growled.

"No, you're not. How could you be? But if Hacker had overheard that little spat with Angela just now? You'd be done." Sweets stepped towards Booth, his voice quiet and serious. "As your friend, I am giving you a heads up. Don't give Hacker any more reasons to take you off the case."

Booth ground his teeth as he stared Sweets down for a moment. "No one needs to find them like I do," he finally said, his voice raw and hoarse.

Sweets didn't back off. "Of course not. But you're on very thin ice and I can't protect you for long if you keep shouting at all the people who are trying to help you."

The tension was suffocating them both and the face off was only broken by the ringing of Booth's phone.

"Booth," he barked, turning his back on Sweets.

There was no sound for a moment and Booth strained to make out the faint background noises on the other end of the phone.

Then he heard a soft, heart wrenching sob.

"_Dad?"_


	25. Chapter 25

_A/N- I am posting on Sunday night due to the Monday holiday here in the US. The next chapter will post Wednesday morning, California time, as usual._

_ I'd like to take a moment to remember the reason for our long weekend and thank our troops, past, present and future for the freedoms we enjoy._

* * *

><p>"Parker! Are you okay? Where are you?" Booth's heart was pounding in his chest, his knees weak in relief. "Just tell me where you are and I'll come get you."<p>

"I don't know. He let me go." Parker sniffed, and Booth could almost envision him wiping his nose on his sleeve. "I ran and I…I got here."

"Okay. Okay, Buddy. Just tell me where 'here' is. Do you know?" Booth asked, trying to stay calm and collected.

"A doctor's office."

"A doctor's office? Are you hurt?"

"No. Bones said a hospital would be a safe place to go. I didn't see one but this seemed like a good choice, too." Parker's voice broke. "Dad, he didn't let her go. Bones is still with him."

Booth closed his eyes against the warring emotions that coursed through him. "Okay, Bud. It's going to be okay. I'll find Bones. I promise. Is there someone there I could talk to? Someone who can give me an address?"

"There's a nurse."

"Let me talk to the nurse, okay? So I can find out where you are and come get you."

"Okay."

There was a slight shuffling on the line and then, "Hello?"

"This is Special Agent Seeley Booth with the FBI. Who am I speaking with?"

"Jaime Nicholson. I'm a nurse at the med clinic here in Cranston."

"I need your address." He motioned wildly to Sweets for a pen as he pulled an index card from his pocket.

"We're not hard to find, Sir. 2424B Main Street. We're right on the main strip. Most of the town has closed up."

"Okay, Jaime, I need you to listen to me and do exactly as I say. That boy is my son. He's been missing for 26 hours. I need you to find a place for him until I can get there. An exam room or a break room; somewhere he won't be seen if someone besides me comes looking for him."

"I can do that."

"If anyone else comes in asking about him, you deny that you've seen him and then you call me immediately. Give the same instructions to the rest of your staff."

"It's just me and Dr. Salabie, sir."

"Good. I will be there in half an hour. Let me talk to my son again."

"Sure."

"Dad?"

"I'm on my way, Parker. Just hang tight. I'm on my way."

"Okay." A muffled cry escaped his lips and it ripped right through his father's heart.

"Thirty minutes. Or less. I promise, Parks."

"'kay. Can you stay on the phone with me?"

Booth could feel the already shattered pieces of his heart splinter even further. "I have to hang up so I can get some people to help me, but the nurse is going to find the safest place for you and I will be there very soon." He didn't want to hang up any more than Parker wanted him to, but he needed to follow procedure and do this right. His partner was still counting on him.

"Hurry," Parker pleaded

"I am, Buddy. I promise. Now, give the phone back to the nurse, okay?"

"Agent Booth?"

"I will be there in 30 minutes."

"We'll take good care of him, sir."

"Thank you." He disconnected and whirled around to Sweets. "I'm going. In five minutes, you go to Rebecca and you tell her that Parker's alright. Bring her here." He handed Sweets the clinic address. "She's in Bones' office on the phone with her sister right now. Five minutes and then you get in your car and you come. That will give me twenty minutes on you with the siren. I'm going to need that before she gets there."

"Five minutes. Got it."

"Thanks."

Booth ran for his car, got in the driver's seat, flipped on the siren and tore out of the Jeffersonian parking structure.

* * *

><p>The ride back to the dilapidated house was quiet. Brennan could do nothing but think of Parker. Where was he? Had he found help? Was Booth on his way to him? She imagined their reunion; how tightly Booth would cling to his son, how safe Parker would feel in Booth's embrace.<p>

She hoped to know that safe feeling herself, again. Soon.

She hoped the dirt she'd slipped into Parker's pocket would help narrow down her location. She hoped it had survived his escape and that Hodgins would know just where to find her.

What she knew was that Booth would not stop looking for her. He would never give up; his joy at his reunion with Parker would be tempered by his drive to find her.

Of that she was certain.

She looked towards the front of the van, taking in her captor's wondered if this man, this Todd person who held her captive, had any idea the lengths Booth would go to to bring her home. Could he really think Booth would be placated by just having Parker back?

"We're home!" Todd's tone was cheerful, almost sing-song, and it made her skin crawl. "I'll come around and help you out."

Still bound, Brennan scooted to the cargo doors. Todd opened the doors and untied her ankles, the now thawed bag of ice falling to the ground.

"How's your ankle? Think you can walk?"

"Yes. Thank you. It should be fine." She answered, not meeting his eyes.

Todd took her elbow and helped her out of the van, guiding her as she pretended to limp into the house.

He stood over her with his gun as she struggled to fasten herself to the bed once again. With her hands still bound she was in no position to fight him.

She did, however, have some questions for him.

"Were you planning to kill Parker?"

"Excuse me?"

"If I hadn't insisted on coming along, would you have released him as promised or did you…did you have alternate plans?" She couldn't repeat the word "kill." Not in reference to Parker. It made her feel sick.

"It was never my plan to harm the boy, Temperance. How could you think so little of me?"

"It has not been my experience that kidnappers keep their word."

Todd chuckled. "Well their motives are more…evil in nature. My motive was pure. My motive was love."

"He's a witness….evidence. You must know that the FBI will question him."

"Temperance," Todd sat on the bed beside her. "Agent Booth is a smart man. He knows you chose to be here with me. You are an adult who made a decision. He has his son back and you chose me. He can begin to move on, now."

"That's…" She couldn't even find the words to describe how insane he sounded.

"Would you like to play a game?" Todd asked, suddenly.

"Pardon?" She blinked, jarred by his words.

"I have a deck of cards and I think I have Scrabble. You're probably really good at Scrabble, but that's okay. I don't mind losing."

She couldn't help the incredulous expression on her face. "I'm…I'm not going to play a game with you."

Todd placed his hand over her bound ones and bile rose in her throat.

"Temperance, we're starting a life. This is what couples do."

"We are not a couple."

"Today we left the very last piece of your old life behind. It's us now. You and me." He caressed her cheek with his free hand and nausea rolled through her. "But you are still learning that we're meant to be. I'll admit it took me a little while to see it as well. Once I did, though," he smiled. "Once I did see that you were the one for me, there was never a doubt in my mind that you would see it, too. I still feel that way. It just takes time."

"Booth will find me. He won't stop looking." She knew they weren't wise words, of course, but she said them anyway.

"You chose me and Agent Booth knows that." He repeated with a smile. "There is a reason you never wanted to marry him, Temperance."

"How do you know I didn't want to marry him?" She was disgusted. If she ever had considered marriage, it was only to Booth.

"It was in that article. The interview you gave in 2009 to the New York Times. You said you had never found a good enough reason to enter into marriage. But you knew your partner, then, and still you didn't want to get married. When I found that article just a few months back I knew it was a sign."

"You're delusional," she whispered.

"The reason you never married him is me, even if you don't know it, yet. This will all work out. You'll see." He stood, smiling once more. "Maybe you are right. It's too late to start a game of Scrabble right now. I will make us some dinner. I know you prefer not to eat meat, so I have planned for pasta." Whistling, he took the few steps to the kitchen area and started prepare dinner.

* * *

><p>"Seeley, you son of a bitch!"<p>

"Rebecca-" Booth hadn't wanted to click over from his call with Hacker requesting a forensics team, but he knew his ex would keep calling until he answered.

"Don't! Don't you dare! You knew where our son was and you left without me? What gives you the right? I'm his mother!"

"And you are right behind me. I didn't want to leave Parker waiting any longer than I had to. It would have taken extra time for me to come to Bones' office to get you."

"Don't give me that. I know you want to get to Parker first. Don't deny it. You want time to question him. Don't you think he's been through enough? Don't you think-"

"Rebecca, I know he's been through a lot and yes, I wish I could spare him. But the truth is that I need to know everything he can tell me and the sooner he tells me, the fresher those memories are, the better. Even if it wasn't Bones I would still have to do this." He tried to take a more gentle tone. "He's my son, too, Rebecca. You know I want to get there as badly as you do."

"I just want to take him home, Seeley." She was crying now and Booth felt a sharp stab of guilt.

"I know. Soon. I promise."

"You'll tell him I'm coming?"

"Yes."

"How close are you?"

"I'm here." Booth answered as he pulled up in front of the clinic.

"Hold him tight, Seeley," she whispered.

"I will. I promise."

It was the one promise in the nightmare he was certain he would be able to keep.


	26. Chapter 26

There were four stairs leading up to the landing of the Med Clinic's door but Booth took them all in one stride. There were probably five footsteps to the door, but again, it was only one for the anxious father and agent. There were three people in the waiting room and one at the front desk. He didn't really notice any of them.

"I'm Agent Booth, with the FBI." He took out his badge and flashed it at the woman behind the counter. "I'm here to get my son." He choked with relief on his last sentence, the words coming out as if he'd been kicked and the air in his lungs whooshed out with his voice.

The woman nurse examined his badge and looked at his ID card carefully, a fact he'd later be grateful for, but the amount of time it took her seemed to drag on forever.

"Yes. Of course, Agent Booth. Right this way." She smiled warmly at him and motioned at a door for him to go through. When she met him on the other side she said "Come with me," and she escorted him to a hallway. "Your son had skinned his knee fairly badly, so I cleaned that and bandaged him up. He was also a bit dehydrated so we've got him drinking some electrolytes and water to rehydrate. He's having a sandwich and watching TV now. He's scared, but alright."

"Please…" Booth just needed to see him now, to hold him. To know that at least part of this nightmare was over.

"That door, second from the end." She pointed. "I will leave you to your reunion."

If there were other doors in that hall, Booth never saw them. His eyes never left the one the nurse had pointed to; the last remaining barrier between him and his son.

As much as he wanted to throw the door open and swoop in, he didn't want to startle Parker. He imagined the boy would be fragile and frightened and he wanted to make that better, not worse. He turned the knob and pushed the door open gently.

The tackle almost knocked him over.

"Dad!" Parker was wrapped around him, holding on for dear life.

Booth sank to his knees, taking Parker with him, cradling him in his lap, holding him against him in a way he hadn't done since Parker was a toddler.

"Parker." Booth cried now, unable to stop it as Parker's own tears soaked his father's shirt. "It's okay. I'm here. I've got you. I've got you. You're safe, now. I've got you." He just kept repeating the same things over and over like a mantra, wanting desperately for Parker to feel the security all children should have.

"I got away." Parker spoke into his father's chest after some time, his arms still locked tightly around Booth's neck.

"I'm so glad. It was an understatement.

"He won't let, Bones go, Dad. He wants to keep her." Parker's shoulders shook as he sobbed quietly.

Booth didn't want to be an FBI agent right then. He wanted to just be Parker's dad. He just wanted to hold him, comfort him and help his son forget the horror of the last day.

But he couldn't-wouldn't-leave his partner with a madman one second longer than he had to. "Parker, I know this is hard. But I need you to tell me everything you can remember."

Parker lifted his head, the tears still falling, to meet his father's eyes. "Bones said that you would. She told me to try to remember things."

Booth nodded. _"That's my girl,"_ he thought to himself. Brushing his hand over Parker's hair he said, "Your mom is on her way. She can't wait to see you. Do you think you are ready to tell me what you can until she gets here?"

"Yeah. I remember a lot."

"That's good."

It was only then that Booth took in the room. It appeared to be a break area or a lounge. There was a large table with a few uncomfortable looking metal chairs, a small TV, a kitchenette and one oversized arm chair. "Let's sit, okay?"

Parker nodded and pulled away from his dad and Booth suddenly realized he wasn't quite ready to let him go. Scooping Parker up as if he were still the young child Booth sometimes imagined him to be, he took him to the armchair and simply tucked Parker in beside him, as though they were about to read a cozy bedtime story together.

"Bones gave me this." Parker stuck his hand into his shirt pocket and produced a fistful of dirt. "She said it was for Dr. Hodgins. She said you'd know why."

Booth reached up and grabbed a paper cup from a dispenser on the wall. He cupped Parker's hand and tipped it, pouring the evidence into the cup. "Yeah, Buddy. I know why."

"It's so you can find her, right? Dr. Hodgins can tell where she is from that, can't he?"

Booth carefully set the cup on the table in front of him. "He's sure going to try."

Booth didn't want to take out a pen and note cards. He couldn't stop holding Parker long enough to do anything as clinical as make notes. Instead he turned on the voice memo recorder on his phone and gently prodded Parker to begin retelling the last 27 hours.

* * *

><p>Brennan picked some at her dinner out of necessity more than appetite. She knew she had to keep her strength, physically and mentally, if she were ever to try to escape this man on her own.<p>

She also knew it had been a mistake to antagonize him earlier. Though he hadn't seemed annoyed when she declared she would not play a game with him and that they were not a couple, she knew her best chance at freedom, besides Booth, was to lull this man into a false sense of security. If he believed she wanted to be there, if he thought she would stay by choice, he'd get lazy. He'd leave that front deadbolt undone, he'd make her restraints too loose, or maybe he'd forget his gun. All she needed was one chance and she was certain she could out run him.

After dinner he'd brought out a TV/DVD combo unit and started a movie.

"A date night in." He'd told her gleefully. "I saw a picture of you, once, at a fancy gala at the Jeffersonian. You looked amazing. Those kinds of parties are just like you; elegant and beautiful. Someday I will take you to a fancy gala and everyone there will be amazed that a woman like you loves a guy like me." He clicked _play_ on the remote. "Until we get to that point in our relationship, this kind of date will have to do."

She remembered the picture. It had been snapped by a reporter as she and Booth stood in front of a new exhibit. She'd been unaware the photographer was there and Booth had made a comment about Aboriginal tribes that was so inaccurate that she'd laughed long and loud and a picture had been taken.

Angela had brought the paper in the following day.

"_Look at how he looks at you, Brennan. That man? He's crazy about you."_

She'd felt terrible because the reporter had caught her laughing at her partner while he'd looked at her in that way that made her completely aware of everything he'd felt for her. She'd laughed at him and he'd adored her, anyway. That picture had been one of the reasons she'd been sure she wasn't what he needed.

It had been right before their big meeting with Sweets. Right before they'd started to crumble.

She hated that picture.

Things were different now, of course. He still looked at her like that and there were still days she would suffer a brief wave of anxiety that she couldn't give him what he wanted. But then he would smile or kiss her, like he knew what she was thinking, and she'd feel grounded and secure and, despite all her arguments to the contrary in the past, she knew they really were the best thing for each other.

She wanted desperately to see him now; to be held by him. To be grounded and secure.

To be safe.

Todd watched the romantic comedy while she stared blankly at the screen, pretending to watch as well. She wondered if Parker had found some help. Was he safely with Booth? With Rebecca? Had Hadley noticed her absence? Was she confused or frightened without her mother? Was Hodgins analyzing the soil; was he able to narrow it down enough to help locate her?

Questions raced through her mind, her brain turning over every conceivable answer. She almost didn't notice when the movie was over.

"Did you enjoy the film, Temperance?"

"It was…sweet." She used a generic term to cover that she hadn't been paying attention.

"It was, wasn't it?" He smiled what she had come to think of as his signature smile. "I have something for you." He stood and went into his room. She heard a drawer open and shut before he returned with a pair of pajamas. "I bought these for you when I first started planning for you to join me. This way you will be more comfortable tonight when you sleep." He held them out to her. "Take them. I think they are just the right size."

* * *

><p>Booth and Parker could hear Rebecca before they ever saw her. Booth realized he'd never told the nurse anyone else was coming and she probably wouldn't let Rebecca through.<p>

"I think your mom is here."

"Can I go?"

"Yes, go.

Parker raced from the chair out the door and Booth heard the mingled cries of mother and son as they were reunited.

Booth stood and walked to the hall, watching as Rebecca held Parker close, alternately kissing his face and hugging him to her.

"I'm available to speak with him if you think he needs it." Sweets was next to him suddenly and it surprised him.

"Oh, um, yeah, I guess… I guess it probably would be smart to have him work through all this with you."

"I can also recommend someone who specializes in adolescents." Sweets stuck his hands in his pockets. "Was he able to tell you anything useful?"

Booth nodded. "I'm going to meet with the Squints. I think we might have enough to find this guy."

* * *

><p>Todd had escorted her to the restroom; gun in hand, so she could change. She washed up slowly, grateful to be alone for a moment. The flannel two piece set was too large, the cheap fabric rasping against her skin, but it felt nice to be out of the clothes she'd had on for days.<p>

"Very nice," Todd said, once she emerged from the restroom. "In the morning we will do some laundry but now it's time for bed." At gunpoint, he walked her back to the bed and handcuffed her once again. "Lay down and I will cuff your ankle."

With no choice, she did as she was told. She lay on her side as he attached the restraint to the bed and then to her ankle.

"I'm sure you will be more comfortable tonight." He crouched beside her and she suddenly felt sick with dread.

He stroked her cheek then slowly brought his lips to her hers.

The bile rose in her throat and her instinct to flee caused her legs to tense, clanging the chain against the metal frame. She willed herself not to tremble or fight and reminded herself that every second of perceived cooperation was one second closer to freedom.

"Goodnight, Sweetheart," he whispered as he broke the kiss, his hot breath on her face.

She couldn't quite bring herself to answer him.

He double checked the interior deadbolt then, switched off the single lamp that had cast a dim light around the small house and disappeared into his bedroom.

It was only then she dared to raise her hands to her mouth and wipe repeatedly in a desperate attempt to get the feel of him off of her lips.


	27. Chapter 27

_**A/N**- Here's an factoid that some of you may not know: My husband has NO IDEA I write fanfic. It's my little secret. I don't think he'd care, he knows he married a bit of a nerdy girl, but I also don't think he'd get it __(although in my mind it's much like fantasy sports, which he wholeheartedly participates in.) The reason I mention this is because he's been on vacation for WEEKS and I've working around him pretty well, but I just could not get to review replies for the last chapter. The response was AMAZING and I'm so thrilled you are all still here with me. I appreciate each and every one of you more than you can know. We've got about 3 weeks left on this ride, so let's get to it!_

* * *

><p>Booth dropped off the dirt with Hodgins, then headed for the bone room where Wendell was collecting evidence from Parker's clothes and hair. The bone room had seemed a better choice than a cold table in the middle of the lab. Booth didn't want his son to feel like he was on display.<p>

He stayed with Parker and Rebecca for a little while, telling Parker about the time Brennan had done the same thing to him - leaving out the parts about the vascular tissue on his belt buckle - when his phone beeped with a message from Angela.

"What have you got?" He asked as he came into Angela's office to meet with the team.

"His name," Angela said, "is Todd Dunkinson. Once I had a first name from Parker, I was able to narrow down the search to compare against prints on file. He was a volunteer at his local high school library, which is why his prints are in the system." She clicked a button and brought up a new screen. "This is his DMV picture."

Booth looked at the picture and felt rage run through his veins. He'd never hated someone so much in his life. "I'll have the Dallas Field Office check out his address, places of employment, talk to neighbors, friends, anything that might help us out."

"He'll be a loner," Sweets said, focusing on the picture. "No real friends. Probably good at his job, organized, but not really a team player. Most likely no one ever thought he was dangerous. I'm betting they never thought much about him at all."

Booth nodded. "The house he's keeping Bones at is small. Parker says it faces east, because he could see the sun come up. He thinks they drove south away from it but he's not sure. He says he couldn't see any houses or buildings or hear any kind of noise, so it's probably pretty rural. Bones managed to get some dirt into Parker's pocket. Hodgins, you're working on that, right?"

"Yup. I'm on it. Got a few tests running, now."

"Right, okay. I have a team trying to find the drop off point where he let Parker out. We can trace Parker's steps back to a certain point because of his pedometer and because he marked his trail as he went along, but before he started doing that we aren't sure how far he went or exactly where he came from. Once we find that spot we can look for evidence or some kind of connection this guy might have to the location." He checked his watch and grimaced. "It's 8:30. They've packed it in for the night. It's too dark out there, now."

"Booth, did you say Parker was wearing a pedometer?" Angela asked.

"Yeah, he reset it when he stopped running, then tracked his steps the rest of the way and marked buildings every time he turned. Why?"

"So you know where he was when he reset the counter?"

"Yeah."

"If I could measure his stride and his pace, I could narrow down the area for you."

"Yeah?"

"Yes. I just need to hook him up to a treadmill and let him run. Then the information from the treadmill will feed directly into the program. Once he's run at his maximum capacity, the program will give me stride and pace and the amount of distance he most likely covered."

"No."

Everyone turned their heads to find Rebecca and Parker standing in the doorway.

"He's been through enough. I'm taking him home. No tests. No treadmills. No more questions."

"Rebecca—"

"No more! We've been here long enough. I've been very patient, Seeley, while you asked questions and while that kid in the lab coat took our son's clothes and dug under his fingernails and treated him like he was some kind of experiment. But we're done now. I'm taking him home."

"Rebecca, I know, okay? I do. I _want _you to be able to take him home but—"

"But you need to save Dr. Brennan. I get it, Seeley. But he's only twelve and he was _kidnapped_, for God's sake. There has to be another way. "

"Mom, it's okay." Parker, clad in an oversized FBI t-shirt and his baseball pants from the back of Booth's Sequoia, looked especially young and small. "I can do it."

"No. Maybe tomorrow, but we're leaving now." Her eyes were locked with Booth's, her jaw set in determination, ready to fight.

Booth crossed over to her, unwilling to engage, knowing after years of arguing that the quickest way to diffuse her was to remain calm, despite his desire to yell. "It's not just finding Bones. Every piece of evidence we find helps us put this guy away when we do get him. You're a lawyer, Rebecca. I don't have to tell you how this works. The more evidence we have against him, the better." He paused and swallowed hard. "And yeah, I need to find her. We don't know what he's planning; what he's capable of." His voice dropped to a hushed pleading tone. "She's my life, Rebecca. I need to bring her home."

"Mom?"

Booth and Rebecca both looked at their son.

"Parker," Rebecca whispered.

"Bones helped me." He said, with a hint of stubbornness. "If I can help her, then I want to. It's just running, Mom. I can do it."

Rebecca looked past Booth to Angela. "How long will it take?"

"Thirty minutes, tops."

"You can have twenty. After that, I'm taking him home."

"Thanks, Bec," Booth said hoarsely, the old nickname brought forth on a wave of gratitude.

"I hope you find her Seeley," Rebecca answered, her eyes flashing. "And when you do, I hope you kill the bastard who did this to them."

* * *

><p>Brennan had been dozing when she heard Todd get up and come into the room where she lay.<p>

She could feel him studying her. She kept her breath steady, feigning sleep as her mind raced. What was he doing? What did he want?

She heard him walk toward the away from the bed and she thought maybe he was going to get a drink of water from the sink.

Until the bottom of the mattress dipped and she felt him crawling into bed with her.

"Temperance?" He whispered into her hair, his hand skimming from her shoulder to her elbow then sliding off to rest on her hip.

She forced herself to answer him. "Yes?" She struggled to keep her composure as her heart thudded in her chest.

"We spent such a nice evening together. Would you care to come and share my bed with me?"

Her body stiffened and he must have noticed because he was quick to clarify. "I mean to sleep, of course. Unless…" he trailed off, leaving the thought unsaid, but still heavy in the air.

Her mind raced as quickly as her heart, her brain tripping over itself trying to think of the right answer. The answer that would make him leave her alone without tipping him off that the very idea made her feel sick.

She wanted to say "don't touch me," but instead she swallowed hard, clenched her teeth and whispered: "I'm not ready."

He placed a kiss on her shoulder. "I understand. Perhaps tomorrow." He pressed another kiss into her hair and crawled from the bed, going back to his room.

She shook as relief, anger and desperation overtook her all at once.

She no longer believed she had the luxury of biding her time and playing his game.

She had to get out.

Soon.


	28. Chapter 28

He was pacing again. This time, he had a distraught Hadley in his arms. It was the middle of the night, and she wouldn't settle, crying harder whenever he stopped, so he just kept walking.

And waiting.

The team searching for Parker's drop off point had to wait until morning, even though Angela and Parker had managed to pinpoint a more specific search area. The Dallas field office couldn't go knocking on people's doors in the dark and expect cooperation, so they, too, had to wait.

The only forward motion that Booth thought might happen before sun up was from Hodgins. The entomologist was pouring over the soil sample, trying to narrow it down as much as possible.

Booth knew it was his best hope. And as much as he wanted to be doing something constructive to find his partner, he was finding some comfort in just being Hadley's father at the moment.

"It's okay, Sweet Girl. " He murmured. "Daddy's here. You're okay. Ssshhhh." He bounced her gently as he went back and forth across the lounge.

Hadley rested her little head on her father's big shoulder, her cow tucked safely to her chest, and sobbed into his shirt.

"I know, Hads. I know." He could only imagine she wanted her mother, even though she had no idea what was going on. That was one thing he could be grateful for; that Hadley was too young to understand what was happening.

But the entire situation made him desperate and furious and his daughter's shrieking was a clear reflection of that.

"_She can feel your stress, Booth. Mine, as well. Babies can sense their parents' emotional state. We should try not to bring our feelings about work home with us." _

Remembering his partner's admonishment from an earlier, difficult case, he took a deep breath and tried to physically relax. His entire body was as taut as a wire and it took several deep breaths and some concentrated effort to unspool some of that tension.

After a while, it seemed to work. Hadley's sobbing lessened to whimpers and then finally the only sound that came from her was the sweet breaths of a slumbering baby. Slowly he lowered himself onto the couch and resettled her more firmly against his chest. She sighed deeply, raised her head for a moment and then laid back against him, sleeping soundly once more.

As he sank into the couch at a better angle for Hadley, exhaustion hit him. It buzzed up his legs and spread through his body. His jaw hurt from being set with stress, his eyes were scratchy and dry and his head was pounding. As much as he wanted to fight it, sleep was overtaking him and his last thought before he let it win was to hope that his dreams were more pleasant than his reality.

* * *

><p>Brennan spent most of the night awake, thinking up logical ways to escape. The few times she did doze, she dreamed of Booth finding her, unfastening her ankle restraints and leading her to safety.<p>

By the time the sun came up she had a plan. She needed to be unbound and able to get the key to the lock from his pocket. She didn't know if her plan would work, but she knew she had to try.

She heard Todd stir, so she closed her eyes, feigning sleep yet again. She heard his footsteps as he emerged from his room. Once more she could feel his gaze rest on her for a few moments, and then she listened as he walked to the kitchen and began to rattle some bowls and pans.

In case he was watching she pretended to wake slowly, blinking her eyes against the sunlight and stretching as best she could against her restraints.

"Good morning!" Todd sounded... jolly, almost manically so, and she found it strange in light of her rejection in the middle of the night. "How did you sleep?"

"Better," she fibbed. "Thank you, again, for the pajamas." It was important that she show gratitude. Compliance. Anything that would make him believe she was happy to be there.

"You're welcome. I'm going to make pancakes. Would you like to help?"

Cooperatively, Brennan nodded.

"Let me get your feet undone." He came over and unlocked her ankle restraints. She sat up and oriented herself for a moment before she stoop up.

Suddenly, Todd was tugging on her right hand, pulling her up off the bed and into his chest. He placed her left hand on his shoulder, and settled his own at her waist as if they were about to dance. He began to sway back and forth to some imaginary tune she couldn't hear, pressing his body into hers. "I feel like we've turned a corner, my Temperance," he whispered in her ear, his breath hot against her skin.

She fought back the nausea that was bubbling up, trying to remember that her complacency was important to her plan. "I'm glad you think so," she said as he began to waltz her around the room. She let him for a for a moment, and then tried to redirect him. "Todd, I really am quite hungry."

"Of course." He kissed her cheek, and she kept her fake smile frozen in place.

She had a plan to implement and his belief in her acquiescence was key.

* * *

><p>Booth jolted awake in panic when he felt Hadley being lifted from his chest.<p>

"It's just me." Angela said softly. "I thought I would put her in her crib in Brennan's office. Hodgins is looking for you."

"Has he got something?" Booth croaked, his voice hoarse with sleep as his heart pounded in his chest.

Angela nodded. "He's not finished yet, but yeah, he's got something." She put Hadley on her shoulder. "Go. I've got her." She walked towards Brennan's office, patting Hadley back to sleep as she went.

Booth stood, cracked his back, then tried to shake himself into full consciousness as he headed for Hodgins office. The short time he'd slept had been just enough to prove he was sleep deprived and his body was screaming for more. His head felt foggy and he rubbed at his eyes trying to get them to focus.

"Hey, man," greeted Hodgins.

"Look, whatever you got, tell me in English right off the bat. I can't do the squint thing right now."

"It's a farm. " Hodgins said bluntly. "Or at least, it was a farm. Based on the age of the deteriorated chicken scat and the insects I've found in there, I'd say it's been out of use for four years."

"So, an abandoned farm?"

"Abandoned, foreclosed, non- functioning… there isn't really anything new in the soil, nothing that indicates any other usage. It's just a small sample, though, maybe not indicative of the entire area. Once I analyze the soil itself, I'll have more for you, but I figured you'd want to know. "

"No, this is good. Thanks, Hodgins."

"Don't thank me. Let's just get our girl home."

Booth smiled wryly at Hodgins' terminology. "She'd beat you down for calling her that."

"I'd gladly take it if it meant she was back here with us." Hodgins answered sincerely.

Not for the first time Booth was overwhelmed by the devotion of his partner's friends. "Yeah. Me too."

"I'll keep going."

"I'm going to see if I can get together a list of abandoned farms within a 2 hour radius." Booth turned on his heel, took out his phone, and dialed Hacker's number, noting that the sun was rising and praying that today was the day he brought her home.

* * *

><p>She contemplated her options as they prepared breakfast. Initially she thought she might use one of the dull knives or even a fork. If she could hit him just right, in his carotid or his eye, he'd be stricken and she could get out. But she needed the key and she couldn't risk that she might miss or that he'd still be conscious enough to stop her from fishing it from his pocket.<p>

No, rendering him unconscious would be the only way.

The one lamp that lit the room at night was mostly glass and looked heavy enough to do the job. If she could unplug it without him noticing, she could grab it and swing freely for his head, most likely knocking him out at least long enough to get the key and get out the door.

She wouldn't even stop to put on her shoes or find the van keys. She would simply follow the same advice she'd given Parker.

She would just run.

But timing was everything and so she kept on being cooperative all through breakfast and the subsequent clean up. He washed as she dried and she entertained visions of taking the pan and simply wielding it like a bat, but she couldn't be sure it was heavy enough.

"Ready to do laundry?" Todd asked, his voice and demeanor both cheerful.

"All right."

"I don't have a washer, but we can do the laundry in the sink and then hang them outside to dry."

"That sounds fine." Brennan attempted a small smile. She really did hope she was convincing. Booth always said she was a terrible liar. She hoped Todd's delusions would cause him to believe her more easily.

"Someday, when it's safe to tell the world about us, you can shop at all the fancy stores you probably like. But right now, they wouldn't understand."

"Of course." She decided to see just how much freedom he would give her. "I just need to use the restroom first."

"Temperance, this is your home. You don't need my permission."

She smiled at him because she could see her plan falling into place with his answer. He was starting to trust her. "Thank you."

She thought that perhaps today was the day she would get to go home.


	29. Chapter 29

The Dallas field office had agents out canvasing Todd Dunkinson's old jobs, the school where he volunteered, his old house; anything they could to glean more information on the suspect.

To Booth's frustration, they came up largely empty.

As Sweet's had predicted, he was a loner. He kept to himself, had no real friends to speak of and old co-workers found him to be pleasant enough, but largely forgettable. No one knew of anything that would tie him to the Washington DC area, but really they knew very little about him at all.

The team searching for Parker's drop off point had also come up empty. They found the spot where the van had been and had taken casts of the tire tracks, but there was no other evidence to be collected. Booth instructed them to start running down the specific buildings near where Parker had been released to see if Dunkinson had a connection to any of them. Did he have personal knowledge of the area, or had he just made a random choice?

The list of unused farms he'd gotten had so far yielded no one who was obviously related to Todd Dunkinson and there were so many on the list it would take days to track them down one by one.

Booth didn't have that kind of time.

Neither did Brennan.

Once again his hopes were pinned on Hodgins.

And once again, Hodgins came through.

"Booth! I got it!" He bellowed from his microscope as Booth broke into a run. "Angie, pull my screen up in your office!"

Having heard the shout, the entire team gathered in Angela's office to hear what Hodgins had found.

"I can only narrow it down to a general area, based on soil composition."

"English, Hodgins. Tell us in English."

"I can do better than that. I can show you." He walked to the big screen and pointed. "Everything in between here," he motioned left to right as Angela highlighted. "And here." He moved his hand north to south and Angela zoomed in the area.

"That's still a lot of territory," muttered Cam.

"Yeah, but with the list of abandoned farms…" Angela began.

"We can narrow it down to the farms on the list that are in that area." Booth felt a familiar hum in his body, the one that said he was getting close.

"Hold on." Angela clicked a few buttons and her screen beeped. "Looks like there are still several options. Fourteen, to be exact."

"Well, that's a lot less than we had before," answered Booth. "Let's start breaking them down, see if we can find a connection to Dunkinson. When we find that connection, we'll find Bones."

* * *

><p>She hung her clothes to dry on a crude clothesline Todd had set up. He stood nearby with his gun, of course, not about to give her the freedom of being outdoors alone so she could get away. He was delusional, she had decided, but not stupid.<p>

She took her time, scanning the area for other houses or signs she might have missed before, but saw nothing. With the last clothespin in place, she had no choice but to let Todd lead her by the arm, back into the house.

He toed off his shoes and turned his back for just a moment to lock the door. To avoid raising his suspicions, she leaned down to take off her shoes as well and used the opportunity to unplug the lamp from the wall, tucking the cord away behind the TV tables so he wouldn't notice.

Step one of her plan was complete.

Todd wanted to play Scrabble again and she went along with it this time. Even though she didn't want to play the game, she saw it as a means to an end: one more step towards gaining his trust. She was winning handily, despite playing half-heartedly.

"You are so smart, Temperance."

"Thank you." She couldn't quite bring herself to compliment him in return.

"I went to college, but not like you. My mother always used to tell me I could be anything I wanted to be, but I left school after six months." He smiled wistfully. "She would have liked you."

Noting his use of the past tense she asked, "Did she pass away?"

"Yes. About a year ago. She never did like the girls I brought home, not that there were many. And then once they met Mama they never stayed long. But you're different. You're smart and classy. Mama probably never thought a woman like you could love a dropout like me. But she was wrong, wasn't she? It can happen. I mean, here we are, right?"

"Yes. Here we are." Agreeing with him tasted bitter on her tongue.

"I'll treat you right, you know."

"I know." She whispered, avoiding his gaze by examining her Scrabble tiles.

"I would never call you 'Bones.' Such a disrespectful nickname for a lady."

She froze for a moment, then slowly lifted her gaze to look at him. "How do you know about that?"

"That that man called you 'Bones?' It was in various articles and such. I've read them all, Temperance." He smiled. "Let me show you."

He left the room and she quickly swiped at the tears in her eyes. She had never found her nickname particularly disrespectful; not even when she had asked Booth not to use it early on. Over time she'd come to love it. It gave her a sense of belonging, of being loved.

Loved by Booth.

Todd returned with a large photo album, and sat down beside her. "See?" he said, opening the album. "I saved everything I ever found about you. Sometimes I had to make copies, but mostly I have originals." He pushed the album into her hands. "Take a look."

Slowly she turned the pages.

It was the most bizarre album she had ever seen. The pictures and articles were chronological from the beginning of her career. There was an interview with from her college newspaper, where she was valedictorian, an article about a dig in Guatemala that contained a small quote she'd given. There were reviews from her first book, a copy of her picture from the dust jacket, an article about her first case with Booth, transcripts from trials where she'd testified…the pages seemed endless, a collection of events from her life.

"How did you get all of this?" She didn't even realize she had spoken out loud until he answered her.

"I spent a long time collecting it, but it was worth it. All my research led me to see that we were meant to be together. At first, I was just a simple fan, but the more information I collected, the more it became clear. And look!" He pushed nearly all the pages over, displaying blank pages in the back. "I left these pages empty for our pictures."

"I…" She stopped, completely at a loss for words.

"I tell you what," offered Todd. "You look through that while I make us some lunch, alright?"

She nodded, and began to rifle through the album once again, until she noticed something. She stopped turning pages and stared at the ones in front of her, her fingers tightening in anger.

Every mention of Booth had been erased or blacked out in some way. Pictures of them both had been edited so it was just her. Any mention of Booth as her partner had been blacked out with marker.

He had manipulated Booth right out of her life on paper and was trying to do the same in reality.

She felt a wave of anger sweep over her. Booth, the man who meant everything to her, erased with marker, scissors and some editing.

But it was the last page that propelled her into action.

It was a picture taken at Parker's last baseball game. She knew because she could see the scoreboard in the back. She had held Hadley in her lap that entire game as Booth sat beside them.

But it was a picture of her, in the bleachers, alone, Hadley and Booth removed by some poorly done photo editing.

The idea that she should pretend her daughter had never existed at all was abhorrent. The notion that she could forget her family, insulting and infuriating.

She looked up, rage coursing through her. Who was this man to take her out of her life? How dare he try to rearrange so much of what had made her who she was? Try to make her forget the people she loved the most?

She set the book aside and quietly stood as Todd washed lettuce leaves in the sink. She moved quickly, knowing that at any moment he could turn and that the gun was still tucked into his waistband.

She grabbed the lamp as she walked by it, the TV tables tumbling and clattering as the cord was yanked from behind them.

Her captor turned at the noise, but it was too late.

Brennan didn't flinch as she swung the lamp at his head with all her might.


	30. Chapter 30

Booth, Cam, Sweets, Hodgins and Angela had been around the conference room table for hours pouring over hard copies of deeds, mortgages, probate papers, tax filings, employee records, anything that would connect one farm to Dunkinson.

They were coming up empty.

"Dammit," growled Booth as he finished off yet another pile of folders with no leads to show for his effort.

"This is crazy." Cam pushed another stack of files in Booth's direction. "I've got twenty years worth of paperwork here and there isn't one mention of any Dunkinsons, our guy or otherwise."

"The good news is that I now know everything there is to know about the Kelson and Spencer farms," Sweets began to joke.

"What did you say?" Angela lifted her head from the manila folder she was reading.

"Nothing, " Sweets said, shaking his head. "I was trying to lighten the mood. Forget it."

"No. Really. What did you just say?"

"I said," Sweets answered slowly, "that I know everything there is to know about the Kelson and Spencer farms."

"That's it!"

"I don't understand." Sweets was bewildered.

"What is it, Angela?" Booth asked.

"When I was a little girl," Angela began, "I had a weird name…the weirdest one in school. There were two other girls in my class with odd names as well. McKay and Frazer. And then there were still a couple of other girls with boys names; Jensen, Heath and Spencer."

"What's that got to do with farms, Angie?" Hodgins asked his wife.

"All those girls with the other odd names? They all had their mother's maiden names." She began digging furiously through the stacks of files. "It's not an uncommon practice in the south for a mother to give her child her maiden name as a first name. We've been looking for a Dunkinson connection, but our guy is from Texas…" She triumphantly pulled a folder from the pile and handed it to Booth. "And I bet his mother's maiden name was Todd."

Booth took the folder and opened it. "MJ Farm. It's in probate. The owner was Martin Jenks," he read out loud.

Angela dug a little further and pulled out another folder. "He didn't have a will or any kids, so legally, it goes to his half-sister." She quickly scanned the details in the file in her hands. "Her name was Emma Todd. It's possible she was never married or got a divorce and changed her name back."

Booth looked up from the file. "Angela, can you run this down for me?"

"Absolutely. Give me a few minutes." She ran for her office.

"Booth, this could be it." Cam rested her hand on her friend's arm and gave it an encouraging squeeze.

"Yeah..." Booth could feel his heart thumping and his gut was telling him this was the break he'd been waiting for. He pushed his chair back from the table and stood, automatically pulling his poker chip from his pocket. He began to pace, unable to be still.

No one spoke as they waited for Angela's search results. They were silent, waiting for the information they all hoped would be the key to finding Brennan.

Just as Booth had had enough of waiting and had started towards Angela's office, a shriek of joy came from that direction and the entire team went running, with Booth in the lead.

"Martin Jenks died five years ago with no will," she informed them excitedly. "Which left the farm to his half-sister, Emma Todd. It's been in probate for years."

"We already knew that," Booth snapped.

"But, making a bigger mess of things is that Emma Todd died last year. Once they figure out all the paperwork, the property will go to Emma's heirs."

"Please say she has a son named Todd Dunkinson." Booth spoke and held his breath all at once.

"There are no names on the probate paperwork, but I did a little digging. She has one child, a son, named Todd from her very brief marriage to a guy with the last name of Dunkinson." Angela's eyes watered. "We have our connection."

"We know where she is!" Cam exclaimed.

"We know where she is," repeated Angela, her voice wobbling.

Relief flood Booth's veins, taking some of the strength out of his legs. He leaned against a wall as he pulled out his phone and dialed Hacker.

"Sir? I'm going to need an aerial unit."

* * *

><p>The lamp shattered as it hit him and Todd crumpled to the ground in a heap.<p>

Brennan knelt beside him, searching his pockets for the key to the front door. He'd ducked a split second before contact, so he was not unconscious as she had hoped he would be. He was stunned and moaning and there was no time to find a way to subdue him further; no time to drag more than 200 pounds of dead weight to the bed to restrain him, no time to try to get his gun from underneath him.

No, she just had to find the key. She just had to get out.

Home. She just had to get home.

Her index finger brushed the key and she fished it out of his pocket, triumphantly curling her fingers around it. She stood and crossed to the door in two quick steps. She put the key in the lock and turned, its squeak sounding remarkably like the promise of freedom.

Until she heard the cocking of the gun.

She froze, her hands automatically going up in surrender. She wouldn't risk him shooting her. She would not leave her family forever.

She would not die here.

He pressed into her from behind, pushing her body flush against the door, his breath hot in her ear.

"You stupid bitch." He grabbed her by one arm and whirled her around, then slammed her back against the door, her head ramming into the wood. "Where the _fuck_ do you think you are going?"

She swallowed but suspected there was no right answer, so she remained quiet.

"I have been nothing but nice to you and this is what you do? I thought we were making progress. I _thought_ you were beginning to see things my way, to feel what I feel and all along you were _playing_ me?"

His eyes were wild, his face red with anger as a trail of blood streamed from his head down his cheek. He put the gun up to her temple. "No one plays, me, Temperance. I'm a nice guy until you push me. And you pushed."

"Please. I…"

"SHUT UP! You don't get to talk now!" He yanked her arm and steered her to the bed. "Fasten the restraint to your ankle," he ordered, pushing her down onto the bed in a sitting position.

She didn't dare argue or make eye contact. She simply did as he asked.

He pulled at the restraint, making certain it was secure, and then began to pace the length of the small room. He didn't speak to her at all, nor did he look in her direction. He was lost in his agitation, in his anger and she feared his retribution.

She could handle anything as long as he didn't kill her.

Finally, he stopped in front of her. "You have to be punished, Temperance."

She didn't answer him, didn't look at him, her mind already racing with possible scenarios.

"A good relationship takes trust and respect. I gave you both. You gave me neither. You have to be punished."

She noticed his feet step towards her and it was then that she looked up. She saw the insanity in his eyes. She saw the cruelty on his face. She saw his hand go up, the butt of his gun aimed firmly at her skull.

And then she saw nothing but blackness.


	31. Chapter 31

Once Booth had explained what he knew and laid out what he wanted from the chopper and its crew, Hacker had gone to work, finding the fastest way to get Booth what he needed.

He'd also told Booth to stay put at the Jeffersonian until the reports from the chopper were in and a team could be assembled.

And so Booth's hands were tied. He had everything he needed to just go get her, and yet he couldn't. He knew he couldn't go in alone. Parker had said it was rural. If the guy saw him coming, there was no telling how he would react, what he would do. He couldn't risk it.

Every inch of him was vibrating with the urge to defy Hacker, to ignore common sense and just go. It was agony, knowing where she was, knowing she needed his help and not taking off at full throttle to bring her home.

He couldn't settle. He was antsy, walking laps around the lab, burning off nervous energy, trying very hard not to think about what this psychopath might be doing to his partner.

"Booth,' Cam yelled out to him, as he passed her office for the hundredth time.

"What?" He went into her office.

"I know you want to go. I know you and I know this is killing you."

"He's crazy, Cam. God only knows—"

"I know. I know," she reassured him. "But you and I both know you can't do this alone. He could kill her. And you. And where does that leave your children?"

"You think I haven't thought of that?" Booth snapped. "They're the only reason I'm still in this goddamn lab!"

"What did Hacker say?"

"He ordered me to stay put until we get the report from the aerial unit. He's getting a team ready. Once we have the pictures, we'll move."

"Did he say how long it would take?"

"He managed to get a chopper training flight rerouted." He slumped into a chair across from her desk and rubbed his eyes. "I'm looking at another hour at least."

She nodded. "Have you talked to Parker today?"

"Yeah. Just a little bit ago."

"How's he doing?"

"He's a tough kid. All things considered, he's okay. Sweets gave us the name of a therapist…" he shrugged as he trailed off. "He's worried about Bones, you know? He kept asking me if I knew how to save her yet." His voice cracked at the memory.

"What did you tell him?" Cam asked softly.

"I told him soon." Booth said hoarsely, guilt enveloping him.

"You told him the truth."

"God, I hope so."

* * *

><p>She was aware, at first, of a sound.<p>

It was low and gentle, a hushed whisper, the words not discernible over the ringing in her ears and the pounding in her head.

She then became aware of the position of her body. Her head elevated, she was laying on the bed with her upper body, but her legs dangled off, her feet on the floor.

It was only then she felt the stroking. Slowly a hand was skimming her hair, over and over, petting her like a cat.

She hadn't forgotten, though, where she was or how she'd gotten there and even has her eyes flickered open involuntarily, her sense of dread was rising.

She realized that her head was in his lap and he was stroking her hair, chanting his apologies in a low murmur.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry." His big, disquieting smile spread across his face. "You're awake."

She winced at the volume of his voice as it shot straight through her skull and down her spine. It felt as if it rattled her brain.

Seeing the blood on his face, now dried and dark, she hoped his head hurt just as much.

He continued to pet her, and she forced herself to lay still for a moment, the desire to sit up warring with the knowledge that if she did bolt upright, she'd likely vomit.

When the queasiness had passed she began to slowly ease herself upwards, off his lap, away from his hand.

"Temperance," he said and when he noticed her flinch, he dropped his voice. "I'm sorry I did that. All couples have fights. This was our first."

She didn't answer. She couldn't answer. She had nothing to say to that kind of psychotic chatter.

"I should have realized that you would need more time. As I told you earlier, I started out just a simple fan. It took me months to realize I loved you and that you could love me, too. I should give you the benefit of a longer adjustment period." His eyes turned hard. "But you shouldn't have tried to run."

She knew he was looking for an apology but she just wasn't inclined to give him one. There was a whirring sound in her ears and she closed her eyes against it, willing it away.

"But I think I made another mistake as well. I shouldn't have shown you that album. It reminded you of your past. It gave you a false sense of nostalgia. But you chose me, Temperance. You chose to get into the van with me. And that means something."

"Trading for Parker was never a choice."

"Of course it was. But showing you that album made you think of all that you have left behind; made you remember that disrespectful man you were with and the life that you had, and so you felt the need to get back to that life."

"You're…you're crazy." She was so tired of this game and the whirring in her head was only getting louder.

"I'm just a man in love."

"You can't force me to love you back."

"I won't need to force you. It will happen. I know we are meant to be. You just need more time." Suddenly he tipped his head and his expression darkened.

That was when she knew the whirring wasn't in her head. It was _over_ her head.

A helicopter.

Help was coming.

Booth was coming.

He had to be.

The hopeful elation she felt was tempered by her captor's angry leap to his feet and she knew that he understood exactly what he was hearing. He ran to the single window in the kitchen area to look out.

"In all the time I've been here," he seethed "there has never been anything more than a crow in the air." He was yelling, glancing nervously out the window as the sound faded into the distance. He stomped into his bedroom and came back, waving a cell phone in his hand. "This was for emergencies. I think this qualifies."

"What qualifies?"

"You said the other day he wouldn't stop looking. I thought the return of his son would be enough, but clearly the man cannot understand that you left him for me." He pushed the phone into her hands. "So you are going to explain it to him." He pulled out his gun and pointed it at her. "Now dial."

* * *

><p>Booth had never felt more useless. Time had slowed to a crawl. Hodgins, who had spent the night analyzing poop and soil, was sleeping restlessly, Angela was checking and rechecking her inbox, waiting for the pictures to come in from the chopper, Sweets had gone back to the Hoover and Cam was reading and rereading the same report over and over and over.<p>

It was like they were all in some kind of ridiculous holding pattern or an hourglass that never ran out of sand.

He went to the daycare, hoping to find some reassurance in Hadley's eyes, that same beautiful blue as her mother's.

But they were closed tightly in a blissful slumber, so he watched her breathe for a while instead.

"Mommy will be here, soon. I promise." He kissed his fingers and then gently pressed them to her soft cheek. "Daddy loves you madly, Hadley." He said as his phone chimed in his pocket.

He scrambled from her bedside and hit "talk" quickly to end the ringing and avoid waking the baby.

"Booth!" he whispered fiercely into his phone as he exited the daycare.

"It's me."

The hall tilted to one side and everything seemed to disappear as he slid down the wall, numb with relief at the sound of her voice.

"Oh, God, Bones. Thank God. " The tears came, unbidden. "You're okay, right? You're safe?"

"Seeley…"

He froze. Something was wrong. He could hear it, not just in her voice, but in what she said.

"Seeley, you have to stop looking for me. You have to leave us alone."

His heart was racing. "Bones, can he hear me?"

"No. I need you to listen, Seeley. This…this is goodbye, okay? I made my choice. " Her voice was modulated but he could hear the tension in it.

"Baby, no! No goodbyes, alright? I'm coming, okay? I know where you are; we're so close. Just hang on, Bones."

"I left you. We aren't a couple anymore, Seeley. "

"Please, Bones. I know what you're telling me, okay? I hear you. Just…just do what you have to do to stay safe, alright? I'm on my way, Bones. Soon. I promise."

"I've made my choice." She repeated resolutely and then, more softly, "I'm sorry."

He closed his eyes, sensing that even if the rest of her words were a cover, the apology was real. "There is nothing to be sorry for, Bones, okay? I love you. I _love_ you. And you did the best you could—"

"Goodbye."

The line went dead and he started to drown in a tidal wave of panic.

That goodbye had sounded real, too.


	32. Chapter 32

_**A/N-** It is especially inexcusable that I did not get review replies out for the last chapter because you guys pushed this story past 1,000 reviews and surely that especially deserves individual thank yous. However, it's summer vacation, which means I have six kids at home with me, so it just didn't get done and I'm sorry for that. Please know how honored and awed and grateful I am. Each and every one of you has made this an incredible experience and I thank you. :)_

* * *

><p>Booth stared at his phone, choking on dread, before his adrenaline kicked in and he was racing through the Jeffersonian and into Angela's office.<p>

"I'm going!" He barked. "Now."

"I don't have the pictures from-."

"I can't wait anymore. Bones just called me."

"_What?"_

"She told me that she made a choice to be with him. But she kept using my first name. She _never_ calls me that. _Ever. _It was a message. It was like she was trying to tell me what she was saying wasn't real."

"Oh my God." Angela looked horrified.

"He's stepping up his game. Something's happened." Sweets' voice came from behind Booth.

Booth turned, surprised to see the young psychologist. "I think so, too. There isn't time to wait for the pictures anymore. I'm giving the team the green light." He turned back to Angela. "Can you get—"

"Don't worry about Hadley. Just get your team and go."

"He can't," Sweets interjected.

"The hell I can't." Booth growled, turning to face Sweets.

"The team already left."

"What are you talking about?"

"Hacker activated a team about 45 minutes ago. They left for the farm about 20 minutes ago. The pictures from the aerial unit will go directly to the scene. You've…" Sweets paused and swallowed. "You've been relieved of your duties on this case."

Booth stepped menacingly toward Sweets. "And you were sent to what? Let me know? To babysit me? Maybe both?"

"Neither. Hacker doesn't know I'm here."

"Then why _are_ you here, Sweets?"

"Because I knew once you found out you'd go anyway. And I don't think you should go alone."

Booth froze for a moment, realizing the psychologist was placing his own career in jeopardy, then found himself able to do little more than nod with gratitude. "Then let's go."

* * *

><p>Todd snatched the phone from her hands. "That was good, Temperance," he said lowering his gun. "Very good. I hope Agent Booth lives a long and happy life without you."<p>

Brennan clasped her hands together in her lap to minimize the shaking. She hadn't wanted to hang up but had felt she had no choice. Hearing Booth's voice -his desperation and love- had been overwhelming and she'd nearly lost control of her emotions. If Booth was really coming to find her, Todd couldn't know how she really felt. She would not give Todd a motive to kill Booth, and she was certain that Todd would if he had any idea how much Booth meant to her.

If he had any idea that her family meant everything to her.

There had been so many things she had wanted to ask: Was Parker okay; had he made it to safety? How was Hadley? What about him? Was he managing all right? Was he angry for what she'd done; furious with her for putting their family in jeopardy?

Did he know how much she loved him?

But she hadn't been able to ask him anything. Instead all she could do was hope he understood that she didn't mean what she said. She would never freely choose to leave him -to leave _them-_ behind and she hoped he knew that she was sorry for putting him through this.

She blinked hard to keep the tears at bay. "He seemed to hear what I was saying," she told Todd, thinking of an argument she and Booth had once had about "listening" versus "hearing." Booth had said that listening was when your ears understand the words, but "hearing" is when your heart understands what isn't said.

He had said he'd heard her.

She could only hope he had.

* * *

><p>Booth swerved through traffic, sirens blaring as long as he could. Then, when the roadside became more rural and the traffic non-existent, he turned off the siren, leaving only the blue lights on, and a deafening silence filled the vehicle.<p>

Booth knew Sweets was assessing him. He also knew the kid couldn't help it. Just like his partner and her bones, Sweets couldn't turn it off. He was grateful Sweets was choosing not to comment on his thoughts. Being head shrunk was just about the last thing he needed.

"There." Sweets pointed suddenly as a line of dark sedans, SUVs and a mobile command post came into view "How far out are we from Dunkinson's farm?"

"About a mile." Booth pulled over and turned off the Sequoia. "We can't get closer until we're ready to move in. We can't tip him off."

"You mean _they_ can't get closer. You're not part of this team. You're here because I brought you here. That's it. You have to let them do this their way."

Booth nodded, his jaw set. "Who's in charge?"

"Agent Grosser."

Booth exited the car, slamming the door behind him, and set off to find Grosser.

He didn't have to look for long.

"What the hell are you doing here, Booth?" Grosser jumped down off the command post.

"That's my partner in there."

"Yeah, I know. She's also your lover and the mother of your kid. Why do you think Hacker left you in the dark?"

"I don't give a damn about Hacker and protocol right now. Give me a vest and rifle. I'm the best you've got, Joe, and you know it."

""You know I can't let you gear up, Booth," Grosser said, looking him square in the eyes. "You're not on the HRT. Even if you didn't have a personal connection here, it'd go against so many rules and regs I'd need a shovel and a headlamp to dig my ass out of the mountain of paperwork I'd need to fill out to explain it to the man in charge."

"Dammit, I'm the best shot here. Hell, I trained at least half of those guys you've got out there. If it goes sideways, I'm the best bet to be able to take this asshole out!"

"Taking him out is not our goal, Booth, but it seems to be yours, which is why the answer is no."

Booth scrubbed a hand over his face and looked at Grosser again. "She called me, alright? The game has changed."

"What you mean?"

Sweets answered for Booth. "His hand has been forced in some way. There was likely an incident that made him realize that Agent Booth was not going to give up."

"He probably heard the chopper and figured it out." Booth guessed.

Sweets agreed. "That's certainly possible."

"Look, I can't let you on the team, Booth. You know that. I'm sorry."

"If it was your wife in there, okay? If that was Sarah—"

"I know. Okay? I do. But I've got orders and those orders include not letting you anywhere near this op."

"Grosser, I promised her, alright? I promised her I was coming. Let me do this. "

Grosser looked away, blew out a deep breath and then looked back at Booth. "You can stay, but that's it. Grab a vest, but no rifle. You can stay, but you are _not _on this team. You got it?"

"I got it," Booth said, his voice hoarse. "Thanks, man."

"You grab a vest, too," Grosser ordered Sweets. "And you keep him in line." He jerked his head towards Booth. "Don't think for a second that I don't know you brought him here. I'm holding you responsible for him."

Sweets nodded wordlessly as Grosser stalked off.

"I won't let you take the blame," muttered Booth.

"What?"

"I'm going to do whatever I have to do to get her out of there, but whatever that is, you won't take any heat for it. I'll make sure."

"What are you planning?" Sweets asked.

"Whatever it takes, Sweets." Booth answered grimly. "Whatever it takes."

* * *

><p>Her head ached and for the first time in her life she found it hard to think.<p>

Not that she needed to. Booth said he was coming. There was nothing for her to do but wait.

But she'd never been good at _not_ thinking and she found herself speculating on what would happen when Booth arrived. Was he coming alone? Most likely not. She supposed this was a hostage situation. There would be a SWAT team. Would they negotiate? Would they come crashing through the door? Would Booth be taking the lead like he had all those years ago to rescue that frightened boy from the old, dark garage?

She was startled out of her thoughts and memories when Todd set her plate down hard on the TV table in front of her. He still hadn't allowed her loose from the restraint, but other than that he seemed to carry on, undeterred by the day's events.

"Do you like your dinner?" He asked after a while, as she picked at her food.

"It's fine. Thank you."

"Perhaps you will be able to teach me more vegetarian options in the future."

She nodded, but didn't respond.

"Remind me, after dinner, to go out and get your clothes. They should be dry by now. If we leave them out overnight, they'll get damp."

Again she nodded.

"You seem unhappy, Temperance."

"My head still hurts," she offered.

"Mine does as well. Perhaps an early night for us both is in order. We can sleep and tomorrow we will have a fresh new day, leaving the events of today behind us. Sound good?"

"Yes. That does sound good." All the better for Todd to be asleep when Booth and his team arrived. The element of surprise was always advantageous.

Todd clapped his hands together. "Then that's the plan. Let me clean this up and then you can freshen up a bit."

He stood and cleared their plates, making quick work of the dishes, then escorted her to the restroom at gunpoint, pulling the door shut behind her once she was inside the tiny bathroom.

She took several slow, deep breaths then took a small step forward to inspect her reflection in the mirror. There was blood caked in her hair, and she probably should have had some stitches. She cleaned her wound the best she could, wincing at the sting, and washed the blood from her hair with hand soap.

She emerged from the bathroom and Todd led her by the arm back to the bed, where he shackled her to the bed frame once more.

"I'll get your clothes. Tomorrow I'll give you some shampoo and a big towel so you can bathe and put on clean clothes. I bet you'll feel much better after that." Todd took the key from his pocket and unlocked the door. "Be right back."

All she could think as she watched him go out the door was that she hoped the SWAT team was outside, waiting for him.


	33. Chapter 33

Todd was back from collecting her clothes faster than she had expected.

"Get dressed." He tossed her clothing at her. "We have to go."

"What?"

"Something's not right. It's quiet outside. Usually there are crickets and…it's too quiet. It's not natural. We have to go. Put your clothes on."

"Did you see someone?" she glanced towards the window, trying to keep the hope out of her voice.

"No. Get dressed."

"I can't. The restraint…"

He unfastened her quickly, then ran to the bedroom. She didn't know what he was grabbing. She didn't care. What she knew was that her foot was free.

And the front door, unlocked.

She was at the door in an instant, yanking it open, and had one foot out in the blackness of night when she heard a shout and knew he was coming behind her.

Two steps further.

Two strides more.

He was bridging the gap between them; she could feel him getting close.

Three more steps.

Then another.

Two more.

But they weren't enough.

He caught her.

It was nearly simultaneous, the feeling of his arm wrapping around her chest at the base of her neck and the cold barrel of the gun that pressed into her temple.

She was certain he would kill her now.

* * *

><p>Booth was looking at the aerial shots of the farm when there was a sudden burst of activity on the radio.<p>

"There's movement from the house. A female is running from the building, a male is right behind her."

"Jesus!" swore Booth, rushing to see. "Take the shot!"

"Hit the lights!" Grosser commanded, lighting up the area just as Dunkinson reached Brennan, pulling her to him like a shield. "Hold your fire! Hold your fire!" He ordered.

Shouts of "FBI! Drop your weapon! Do it now!" rang out into the night.

Booth didn't know the agents who were holding him back, who were keeping him from running to his partner, but he struggled to shake them off, ready to go to her.

He was so close, but still too far to save her and he felt sick against his own helplessness.

* * *

><p>Todd took two steps backwards as the farm was flooded with light, his grip on her tightening, the gun pushing into her temple. "You <em>bitch!<em> What did you do?" He pushed her head with the gun while pulling her closer still, essentially shaking her. "Did you tell them to come? Did you send some kind of secret message?"

"No!"

"You're not going with them, Temperance. I saved you from that life. You chose me."

"I know." She'd say anything he wanted to hear. She just had to be sure they were the right words. "I know. But they aren't going to let you go like this. Not this way."

"Let me guess. You want to talk to them, right? You expect me to believe if I let you go over there you'll tell them to go away? Twice you've tried to run, Temperance. Twice you have refused what I have been offering you. But I know we're supposed to be together. We are. Just maybe not in this life. Maybe I was wrong about that part."

"Please…"

"There's something poetic about this, don't you think? You and me against the FBI? Something beautiful about dying for our relationship?" He kissed her hair and whispered. "They won't shoot as long as I've got you as a shield. They can't. But if I shoot you first?"

"No. No! Todd, I don't believe in next lives, okay? We won't be together in a next life. There is only this life. We can still work this out—"

"I'm sure that Agent Booth is out there. I'm sure he's behind this. He's jealous. He just can't accept that you chose me over him." Todd slid the gun down her cheek and pressed it to her jaw. "He's trying to take you from me, Temperance, but I won't allow it. You and I are meant to be together. I can't let you go back to him. I'll shoot you before I let that happen. And Agent Booth will have to live with that for the rest of his life. That I shot you in front of him, and there was nothing he could do. And then he'll kill me, and you and I will be together." He kissed her again. "It's a gorgeous irony…by killing me he'll give me what I want."

"If you shoot me, they won't kill you. They'll arrest you."

"They will if I shoot at them."

"Suicide by cop." Brennan choked out, horrified.

"It's the only way left."

* * *

><p>"Back off!" Booth snarled at the agents who held him in place.<p>

"Booth! I can't run this op and babysit you. Don't make me cuff you," Grosser threatened.

Booth glared for a moment. "Fine." He shook loose from the two men gripping his arms, but they stayed close. "I can go down there. I can diffuse this." Booth was begging as much as he was offering.

"No way. You aren't even supposed to be here and you want me to send you out there?"

"I guarantee you it's me he's pissed at."

"All the more reason for you to stay put."

"I'll go." Sweets said suddenly.

"What?" Booth had nearly forgotten then younger man was there.

"I'm a trained psychologist. Maybe I can talk him down."

"And if you can't? You die. I'm not having that on my head, okay? I'll do it."

"And leave your daughter potentially without either parent? Your son without a father?" Sweets was hitting where it hurt and he knew it.

Booth looked out towards the house where the love of his life was being held by a madman. Without binoculars, they were just the smallest of figures lit up in the brightest of lights.

"Fine. Full gear. No additional risks."

"Agent Booth, you are not in charge here. You are here as a courtesy," Grosser growled.

"You wanna get into a pissing contest, now, Joe? That's my partner and we've got no time. Sweets has been working this case from the beginning. He wrote the profile, he knows this guy best. He's the best choice for this."

Grosser hesitated for just a brief second, then looked at Sweets. "Suit up," he ordered. "Helmet, too."

* * *

><p>"Is that you out there, Agent Booth?" Todd yelled towards the lights, the gun still aimed at Brennan's temple. "Did you come to save her? Did you come to take her home with you? I've got different plans!"<p>

"Todd, you can still walk away from this. You haven't done anything wrong." She was pleading now. "You're right. I came willingly. I'm here of my own accord. They have no right to do this. Please, just, put the gun down. "

"It's not going to work that way, Temperance and you know it. I've tried to show you but you don't seem to understand. We're so good together and you don't see it. But this way…this way it will be for forever and no one can take it from us."

"Death is final. There is no other way—"

"Come on out, Agent Booth! Let's have ourselves a little chat!" Todd railed, waving his gun in the air before pressing it back to Brennan's head.

Brennan blinked as a figure emerged from the blackness behind the floodlights. It wasn't Booth, that much she could tell, even at that distance. The gait was familiar, as was the posture. As he grew closer, Brennan realized with a mixture of horror and relief it was Sweets, clad in body armor, his hands in the air in a gesture of surrender.

"You're not Agent Booth. I asked for Agent Booth. Where the _fuck_ is he?" Todd raged, alternately pointing his gun at Sweets and then back at Brennan.

"Agent Booth isn't here."

"Don't lie."

"Not lying. She called him, told him to stop looking. He did. But the FBI didn't."

"So they sent you? Are you a negotiator? I'm not negotiating."

"I'm not even an agent," answered Sweets coolly. "I'm just here to find out what you want, and see if I can get it for you. All anyone wants is for this to end peacefully."

"Oh it'll be peaceful. Once it's all over it'll be bliss. I can promise you that." Todd brought the gun to Brennan's temple once more.

All she could do was hope she'd been wrong about psychology all along because at that moment, it seemed her life depended on it.

* * *

><p>Booth held his breath as he listened to Sweets talk to Brennan's captor; listened to him lie and say he wasn't there.<p>

"Don't believe it, Bones. I'm right here," he whispered. Without taking his eyes off his partner he spoke to Grosser. "This guy is unhinged."

"Yeah. He is." Grosser agreed. "Think your boy can talk him down?"

"If anyone can, it'll be Sweets. But no. I don't think so. He'll signal if he doesn't think so, either."

"My guys are ready. If we get a shot, we'll take it. We won't wait for successful negotiating with him. He's a loose cannon. It's too dangerous."

Booth nodded, never taking his eyes off the situation in front of him. Todd had begun yelling again and Booth swallowed hard, determined to keep himself together under Grossers' watchful gaze.

"Booth."

"Yeah."

"Grab a rifle. You're the best shot we've got. "

Numb and grateful, Booth sprinted to the van to retrieve his weapon.

He wanted to be the one to end this.

* * *

><p>Todd took a few steps backwards away from Sweets, forcing Brennan with him. Sweets stayed put.<p>

"I know that you love her," Sweets said, his hands raised up in surrender. "I get it. Love is very powerful."

"Don't try to sweet talk me out of this. We're not friends. You don't know anything about me," Todd snarled.

"I know your mom died last year. I know your uncle died five years ago. I know you don't make friends easily, don't hang out with co-workers. You never really knew your father." Sweets took one small step forward. "You have…discerning tastes in who you get close to, criteria, for the kind of person you will allow into your life. Dr. Brennan fit every single criterion, didn't she? She's smart and beautiful and successful. All things you feel you deserve in a partner, am I right?"

Todd didn't answer, so Sweets continued. "You're right, of course. She is all those things. "

"She's perfect."

"A lot of people feel that way. Her daughter certainly thinks she's perfect. She's a lot of things to a lot of people; mother, daughter, sister, friend."

"You're trying to talk me out of this."

"Yeah. I am. I don't think you're a killer, Todd," Sweets soothed. "You only wanted to be part of her life. I understand that. There was a time when I followed her pretty much everywhere she went. I wanted to know everything about her. I wanted her to like me."

Todd hesitated, but then pressed the gun into Brennan's temple even harder. "Did she?"

"Not at first," Sweets admitted. "But after a while she accepted me. I think she even grew to like me. She gave me a nickname. She called me a Baby Duck." Sweets shifted his eyes to Brennan's. "Do you remember that, Dr. Brennan? Do you remember that you used to call me that? A Baby Duck?_" _

Brennan's mind was racing. She understood what Sweets was doing. Psychologically, he was trying to make her captor see her as a human, not an object to be possessed. And he was trying to relate to him; make Todd think he had empathy and sympathy. But she felt like there was more. She was missing something and she struggled to pay attention over her fear as she watched Sweets turn his gaze back to Todd.

"She doesn't call me that anymore. I don't have to follow her everywhere she goes, trying to get her approval. We're friends now. No more Baby," his eyes shifted again to hers. "_Duck._"

And suddenly, she understood.

* * *

><p>Booth could hear Sweets through his earpiece and he could see through his scope when it dawned on Brennan that Sweets was telling her to move out of the way as best she could.<p>

"She's got it," Booth told Grosser.

"Get ready, boys. Our chance is coming," Grosser ordered.

Suddenly, there was shouting on the other end of the mic.

"Don't try to talk me out of this! I know what you're doing! It's not going to work! I'm not letting her go. I don't care who else loves her, she belongs with me! I know how it's supposed to be and I'm done talking about it!"

Sweets was trying, but he'd known this was coming. He kept talking, waving his the fingers on his right hand as he spoke. "O...okay, okay, let's just stay calm and—"

"I had this under control until you guys busted in here and ruined _everything!_" Todd was screaming now, gesturing wildly, as Sweets opened and closed his right fist.

"That's the signal!" Booth was ready.

"Take the shot if you can get it," Grosser commanded the entire team.

Booth's finger itched to pull the trigger, but it was too unsafe. He couldn't get a clean shot, Todd's movements making it hard to keep him in the crosshairs. "Come on, Bones, listen to Sweets and get out of the way, Baby," he murmured. "Let me end this."

Suddenly she pitched forward and his finger pulled back instantly.

His bullet cut through the night sky towards the only man Seeley Booth had ever truly hated.

And towards the only woman he'd ever truly loved.


	34. Chapter 34

It seemed to Brennan like she felt the impact of the bullet at the same time that she heard the shot. It rang into the night and then she felt herself falling.

She hit the ground, a crushing weight forcing her to lie still in the dirt.

Everything and everyone seemed slow and far away, like they were all underwater, trying to talk with mouths full of water, attempting to move against the current.

There was wetness in the back of her head and a smell that was familiar, but that she couldn't place for just a brief moment.

Then she knew.

Blood.

It was blood.

* * *

><p>Booth dropped his rifle and ran.<p>

He never took his eyes off where his partner lay, covered by the man who'd try to steal her from him.

"Come on, Baby, get up. Come on, Bones, come on." He prayed as he ran.

He wasn't alone. The SWAT team members, all still with their rifles, were also approaching the area.

He possessed none of the caution that they did. He yanked off his helmet and his vest, just wanting to be able to hold her as physically close as possible. He just needed to get to her.

He blazed past Sweets, who stood completely motionless in the aftermath.

Other team members had been closer and had gotten there first. He couldn't see her anymore, couldn't see what was happening, just a huddle of Kevlar with FBI lettering.

"Bones!" He shouted and even to his own ears it sounded desperate and frantic. "Bones!" He made his way to the group of agents, trying to make his way through them.

Trying to make his way to her.

* * *

><p>She realized quickly the weight on top of her was Todd, and that he was most likely dead. He wasn't moving or talking.<p>

It wasn't her own blood that she felt. It wasn't her life she smelled spilling out.

It was his.

She shook violently at the realization that she was uninjured and the voices she'd heard shouting in the distance became closer and clearer.

One was clearest of all.

Booth.

There were so many hands pulling and tugging. Four hands, two agents, rolled Todd off of her, another set of hands turned her over to her back, and yet another extended hand was offered to help her sit up.

She was still blinded by the glare of the lights so the last set of hands pulled her to her feet and kindly propelled her into a set of arms, against a solid chest, into a familiar scent and a strong embrace.

She didn't have to see Booth's face to know it was him.

It was finally, truly, over.

* * *

><p>"Bones!" He staggered backwards in relief, wrapping her up, her sobs ripping though him as he choked back his own." "Oh, God, Baby, it's okay. It's alright. I'm right here. It's over. It's over. I've got you. It's all over." He held her tightly, kissing the top of her head as she cried against him.<p>

She nodded into his chest, her shoulders still shaking, so he just held her, silently thanking God that she was safely with him, as his own tears fell into her hair.

"Did he hurt you? " He asked when she looked up, her tearful eyes meeting his for the first time. He cupped her face with his hand. "Did he hurt you?" He asked again, his need to know was almost frantic as his eyes swept her body.

"No, I'm okay. I'm okay," She reassured him. "Is Parker safe?"

"He's fine. Parker…" he smiled a small, wobbly, smile. "Parker's fine." He was awed that after everything, her first concern was for his son.

"Hadley?"

"She's with Angela. She's missed you, but she's okay." He stroked her cheek. "We're all going to be okay, now."

Her eyes welled up and tears spilled over again, but words eluded her. She simply nodded her relief, her mouth firmly pressed into a thin line to keep the cries from escaping.

He wiped her tears away with this thumb, then placed one hand on each side of her face and leaned down slightly, kissing her tenderly.

She cried against his lips, then, her own lips flat from the sobs that broke free. He moved away from her mouth and kissed her cheeks and her nose and her forehead, worshipping her face, her very existence, before pulling her against him once more.

He whispered into her hair. "I love you so much."

"I knew you'd find me. Once Parker was safe, I tried to get away, but I wasn't fast enough." She talked into his shoulder as he rubbed her back soothingly. "But I knew. I knew you'd come. I knew you'd never stop looking."

"Never," he promised.

She let out a deep sigh, her entire body shuddering against his, and though he knew she was an incredibly strong woman, she felt so fragile in his arms. Everything felt fragile. The life they'd worked so hard to build together had nearly been destroyed and Booth wanted nothing more than to hold her and forget just how close they'd come to losing everything.

"It's over now," he said again, his eyes falling on Todd Dunkinson's lifeless body. "He can't hurt us anymore."

"I just want to go home," she said, her voice soft with relief.

"I know." He closed his eyes, reveling in her weight against his body. "Me, too."


	35. Chapter 35

Although the medics had thought she should be checked out at a hospital, and Booth agreed with them, Brennan refused.

"It's a mild concussion I incurred hours ago. It's fine."

"I'd feel better if you got checked out at the hospital."

"And I would feel better at home, in our bed, with you."

He found it impossible to argue against that, mostly because that's what he wanted, too.

So they went home.

Once they got there, Brennan went straight upstairs to the bathroom, turning the shower on as hot as she thought she could stand it. She just wanted to scrub the entire experience off of her.

She stripped off the cheap, scratchy pajamas Todd had given her and deposited them directly into the garbage can.

She would have liked to have burned them.

As she was about to get into the shower she heard Booth on the phone downstairs and she knew by his tone he was talking to Parker. She glanced at the clock, surprised to see it was only slightly after ten pm.

The entire evening had seemed like a lifetime.

She stepped into the water and simply stood there, allowing it all to wash away under the scalding water.

She knew she couldn't really rinse the last several days down the drain, but it felt like a damn good start.

She carefully washed around her head wound and lathered every inch of herself, trying to get the smell and the dirt and the blood off her skin.

When she had succeeded as well as she could, she turned the water off, wrapped herself in the biggest, most luxurious towel she had been able to find and emerged from the shower in a puff of steam.

"Hey," said Booth softly from the doorway. "Someone wants to see you." He smiled and bounced the baby in his arms.

"Oh," Brennan's voice wavered and her face crumpled. "Hadley." She couldn't cross the room fast enough, even when Booth met her half way.

Hadley dove for her mother and Brennan pulled the baby close against her. "Hi, Sweet Girl, hi. Oh, I'm so happy to see you." She kissed her daughter repeatedly. "I missed you."

"Angela brought her home."

"Is she still here?"

"I think she wanted to stay, but Hodgins made her leave. He said you needed your time with us, first."

She nodded, pressing her cheek to Hadley's. "I'll call her tomorrow."

"I'm sure she'll be on our doorstep by nine."

Hadley reached up and touched Brennan's face, and Brennan took her tiny hand and kissed it softly. "I love you. I'm sorry I had to leave. But I'm home now." Her breath hitched. "I'm home now."

Booth stepped forward and kissed the foreheads of both his girls. "I made you some soup," he offered.

"I'm not hungry," she answered. "Can we just…" her eyes flickered toward their bedroom and Booth understood what she wanted.

"I'll change her diaper and lock up. You get settled."

She kissed Hadley again before handing the baby back to Booth, who kissed her, too. "Come on, Little Girl. Let's make sure we're shut down for the night."

Brennan changed into her favorite, comfy pajamas, then dried her hair a little before pulling it back into a ponytail. She was just pulling down the bedding when Booth returned, Hadley still in his arms. Brennan climbed into bed, lying on her side and Booth placed a sleepy Hadley down beside her, then went into the bathroom. He emerged a few minutes later, freshly showered, and joined them in bed, Hadley nestled cozily between them.

It was silent at first. Brennan couldn't take her eyes off Hadley, while Booth was propped up on one elbow, unable to take his eyes off his partner. She stroked Hadley's cheek with one finger as the baby's blinking became longer and more pronounced.

"She's tired," Brennan whispered.

"She hasn't slept in her own bed in days."

"I just want to keep her here for a little while. I'll put her in her crib soon." She seemed to hesitate and then met his eyes. "Were…were you angry?"

As much as he wanted to gloss over it, he had to be honest. "Yeah, but not at you. I mean, not really. I was mad at the situation, mad at this psycho…" He blew out a deep breath. "And then I was just scared, you know? All that mattered was you and Parker. When Parker turned up safe, I knew that was because of you." He cupped her cheek. "You did what you did because you love my son. I can't be angry about that."

"He kept saying I chose to join him." Her voice trembled just a little. "It all happened so fast…but it wasn't a choice. I couldn't leave Parker when I knew how to save him."

"I know. Just…don't ever do that to me again. I don't think I could live through it twice."

"Maybe I should…step back from writing."

"No." Booth shook his head. "No way." He sighed. "You know, the fact is, Bones, that you have fans; people who really love you. I have people who really hate me. Hell, we both do. And all it takes, in that love or in that hate, is for one crazy person to cross the line. But we can't live in fear of them."

She looked back down at Hadley, now so close to slumber. "I would do it again. For Parker or for her. It's who I've become."

"It's who you've always been, Bones."

Hadley's eyes blinked closed and did not open again. She let out the tiniest baby sigh of sleep just as the doorbell rang.

"What the hell? It's almost midnight!" Booth rolled out of bed and retrieved his gun. "Stay here."

She nodded as he slipped out of their room and down the hall. He moved noiselessly down the stairs and to the front door, to look out the peep hole.

Stashing his gun away in the top of the coat closet, he turned on the lights and opened the door.

"Hi!" He said, surprised by his late night visitors. His hand ruffled his son's hair as Parker gave him a sideways hug.

"I'm sorry it's so late." Rebecca smiled wanly. "After you called he was insistent. He really wanted to come over."

Parker moved into the house and only then did Booth notice the backpack over his shoulder. "You're letting him stay?" He asked in surprise.

"Well, it's your weekend."

"I just figured after everything that happened this week you wouldn't want to let him out of your sight."

"I don't," she admitted. "But…sometimes a boy needs his father." She looked past Booth, into the house. "And sometimes he needs his father's partner, too." She nodded towards the bottom of the stairs.

Booth turned to see Parker and Brennan wrapped around each other, Brennan murmuring something quietly into Parker's ear, Parker nodding, both of them close to tears.

Booth turned back to Rebecca. "Thanks," he said, his voice thick with gratitude.

She nodded. "Parks, I'll see you Sunday, okay?" She called into the house.

Parker stepped away from Brennan and ran back to his mom, kissing her cheek. "Thanks, Mom. See you Sunday."

Rebecca blinked back some tears. "Love you, Bud."

"Love you, too."

Rebecca turned away from her son and hurried down the steps of the porch, and Booth knew she was hurrying to leave so she wouldn't have the chance to change her mind.

"Rebecca!" Brennan called, brushing past Booth and pulling the front door shut behind her as she followed Rebecca out the door. "Wait!" She caught up just as Rebecca reached her car. "I appreciate you allowing Parker to spend his weekend here. I know it means a lot to Booth." She looked back towards the house as the light in Parker's room came on. "It means a lot to me as well."

Rebecca nodded. "Thank you."

"Sure."

"No. I mean…thank you." The two mothers' eyes met and Brennan felt the full weight of the meaning behind Rebecca's words.

Wordlessly, she nodded her understanding, fighting her own tears now.

Rebecca got in her car, gave a small wave and drove away. Brennan watched until she couldn't see the tail lights anymore, then turned back towards the house.

Towards her family.

She locked the front door behind her, set the alarm and went upstairs, stopping at Parker's room, where the light was still on and the door still ajar.

"Hey," she said, knocking softly and pushing the door open far enough to peek in. "Do you need anything?"

Parker looked up from his bed where he was reading a comic book. "I'm just waiting for Dad to say goodnight. He said he'd be in in a second."

"Okay. I'll see you in the morning, then. Sleep well." She turned to leave when Parker stopped her.

"Hey Bones?"

She turned back around and stepped all the way into his room.

"I have something for you." Parker slid out of bed and went to his desk, where the jeans he'd been wearing hung over the chair. He dug in one pocket, then the other, before he found what he was looking for. "Here." He put out his hand and when she extended hers, he dropped the small object into her palm.

"My mother's ring," she whispered.

"I'm sorry I never gave it to Hadley, but I kinda just wanted to save it for you for when you came back. I knew my dad would find you. I just didn't think it was Hadley's turn for it yet." Parker sniffed back his tears. "I hope that's okay."

Brennan nodded as she spoke, her voice rough with emotion. "You are a very smart boy, Parker. Thank you."

"I'm glad you're okay."

She smiled and placed an affectionate hand on his cheek. "I'm glad we both are."

Booth tapped lightly on the door. "What's going on in here? Are you having secret meetings without me?" He joked.

"Just saying goodnight," Brennan answered, dropping her hand and giving Parker a wink.

"'Night, Bones," said Parker.

"Goodnight." She walked past Booth, giving him a small smile and went back down the hall, creeping quietly into Hadley's nursery.

She watched her daughter sleep. Hadley's little hands rested near her face and every now and then a small smile would grace her lips.

Her dreams were sweet and Brennan hoped it would always be that way.

Booth wound his arms around her waist from behind and placed a soft kiss just behind her ear before he rested his chin on her shoulder. "She's the most amazing baby girl, ever," he said softly.

"I agree."

"We should sleep, too."

"We should." But she made no move to leave Hadley's bedside.

"Bones," he whispered after several more minutes. "C'mon." He took her hand and spun her around to face him. "You need your rest. We both do."

She nodded, then turned back around and softly brushed back a small piece of hair from Hadley's forehead. "Goodnight, Sweet Girl."

They went back to their room, and climbed back into bed, more in the middle than on their own sides, lying almost nose to nose.

"Parker gave me this," she finally told him, opening her palm and showing him her mother's ring. "I gave it to him to give to Hadley, right before Todd let him go."

"Bones…"

"I did to her exactly what my mother did to me. I left her."

"You came back."

"I didn't know for sure if I would," she admitted. "I knew I would try. I knew you would try. But I also knew he was crazy." She worried the ring between her thumb and forefinger. "I'm a scientist. I had to consider every possible outcome. Death was certainly one of them. And in that case, I wanted Hadley to have this." Her voice dropped to a tearful whisper. "I was afraid of repeating the past."

"You didn't. We aren't. We're all here, now, safe and together, okay?"

"And the next time?"

"There won't be one."

"You can't know that."

"What I know," he took the ring from her and slid it back onto its proper finger. "Is that I love you. And that the kids love you. And that you love us. Those are the only things I need to know to know that we're going to be okay."

"I do love you, all of you, very much."

He still held her hand as he leaned forward to kiss her.

It started sweetly, tenderly, but soon, like so many nights before, it began to catch fire and she could feel that familiar pull of desire start to burn.

And yet, that wasn't what she wanted. "Booth," she whispered, as he broke the kiss and leaned his forehead against hers.

"Listen, Bones," he said softly. "Tomorrow night, I'm going to lay you down on this bed and I'm going to show you over and over again just how much you mean to me; how much I love you. But I think tonight, I'm just going to hold you. I just want to fit you inside my arms and feel you against me and know that you're safe and that we're whole, alright?"

A tear escaped down her cheek. Somehow he always knew what she needed. "That sounds perfect."

"Turn around," he instructed gently.

When she did, he wrapped his arms around her, so her back was to his chest, his knees bent inside the "V" of her bent knees. He tucked himself around her, like the safest of blankets, sheltering her from the worst kind of cold.

He could breathe in the sweet smell of her hair, she could feel his strength enveloping her and there was nowhere else either of them loved to be more than this place; this home, this life, this love.

Like pieces of a puzzle, they fit together. Belonged together. And they would fight to be together.

Always.

**_~The End~_**

_Thank you all for your nice words, your alerts, your favorites and your amazing support. It was a great ride because of your kindness and enthusiasm and I am grateful to you all. _


End file.
